Strawberry Milk Tea (Todomomo) (Red String of Fate)
by LilMissCreator
Summary: Shouto has always been able to see the red string of fate. He sees it everywhere he goes and often finds himself looking at his own string. One question pops in his mind again as he searches for the end of his string and tries to understand the people around him. "What is a soulmate?"
1. Past

Shouto could always see it. He could see it on the trips to the supermarket with his mother when he was young. He could see it at school during lunch when he was in middle school. He could see it during class in high school. He could see it on the streets in his adult life. It always was there. It connected people's pinkies together with something so fragile and small. Sometimes it would stretch on endlessly to what seemed like the other side of the world. Other times it would connect two people right next to each other. He knew exactly what it was. Obsessive searching for an answer would lie on his mind along with a mother who he asked questions to a little bit too much.

* * *

"Mom, do you see it?"

He pointed to it. It was criss crossing and zig zagging in all directions. However, across the street from the supermarket his mother and him had just exited, were two women together. Their hands intertwined and so was it. Everything felt so surreal in that moment with his small finger pointing at it. Shouto was only six when he started to notice it more.

He had asked his siblings about it too. They always gave him furrowed eyebrows and confused looks. They didn't see it. It always fuzzled little Shouto's brain. His mother's and father's were ripped and tangled, unconnected. His sister's was thick, as if it had remained untouched throughout her life. His own was as the thinnest thing he had ever seen. It led on and on into the abyss without any explanation.

"Shouto, don't point! It's rude." his mother grabbed his hand and squatted down next to him, letting go of the bag of groceries onto the ground.

"But mom, they have it."

"What do they have?" his mother tilted her head at him.

"The red string." he lifted up his other hand as if to show her. "Everyone has it. Even you, mom." the little boy grabbed onto her pinky finger.

She sighed. "So, you're able to see it too?"

"What do you mean?" his little hand let go of her pinky.

"You won't understand this very much now, Shouto, but what you're seeing is called the red string of fate." she smiled at him. "I'm is able to see it too." his mother hooked her pinky onto his.

"What's the red string of fate?"

"It connects everyone to their soulmate." she smiled at him.

"What's a soulmate?"

"Well, it's…" she smiled at him again. "It's someone who, no matter the time and place, will always be the one you're meant to be with."

"Really?" he grasped onto his mother's pinky. "Then I want to be with you!"

"With me?" she grabbed onto his whole hand and began guiding him into a walk.

"Yes!"

"Oh Shouto." she laughed.

* * *

Shouto was seven. It was the night of a huge banquet for what his older sister would call, "All the rich folk who don't know what to do with their money." He sat with a bandage over his left eye on a cushioned seat near a corner of the large banquet room. He didn't know where his sister or brothers went at all. They left him alone to go explore or maybe sneak past the adults to the snacks set out on the tables. He let his feet swing back and forth. That's when he noticed it. The slightest tug of his own string. Shouto looked up to find the string moving nearby, but just like that, it stopped tugging. He surveyed the area, spotting other people's strings. He couldn't find the end of his own though.

* * *

The first day in classroom 1-A. Shouto could see all the strings intertwining between the people as he made his way to his seat, but noticed four in particular. Two people, a boy and girl, were standing in the doorway and mumbling things to each other. The girl with the kindest brown eyes and softest pink cheeks smiled at the boy. The boy was frantically waving his arms around. He was nervous with the twitch of his hands. They were so close to each other. Only if they knew of their connected strings that resided on pinkies that almost brushed as they interacted with each other.

Shouto turned to a thud sound from the side of the classroom. A boy with the strangest facial expressions and loudest voice he had ever heard was arguing with another who constantly readjusted his glasses with hands that couldn't stay still. Shouto's eyes trailed over their red strings. The loud boy's string tugged slightly. His sharply head turned to look beyond Shouto. Shouto couldn't help himself as he followed his gaze. The loud boy was looking at another across the classroom. This one was smiling with sharp canine teeth that stood out like a sore thumb. Shouto looked back and forth between the smiling and loud boy. Their strings were also connected.

* * *

"Your's and dad's aren't connected."

His mother's back was to him in the hospital room. She was looking out of the window, not turning back to him. Sunlight draped over her body as he stood there. Her string was falling apart almost, being held together by its own sheer force of will. Shouto looked down at his own string. He hadn't found his own soulmate yet, but the conversation with his mother all those years ago remained in his mind. He never could find a definitive answer for what a soulmate was.

"Not all people who come together are soulmates, Shouto." his mother turned to him. There were bags under her eyes and wrinkles beginning to form on her face. She gave him a sad smile.

"You can see the strings too, so why didn't you…" he took a step forward, clenching the hand with the string attached to it.

"I had nothing I could do. Your father charmed my relatives and won over my hand."

"But-"

"It's okay. People can be happy, even if they're not soulmates. You can fall in love with whoever you want."

"Doesn't that-"

"Shouto…"

* * *

"I'm gay."

All of class 1-A was in the common room of the dorms. Bakugou had gotten Ashido to organize everyone into the common room because he had an announcement. Now, no one really knew what the announcement was and Shouto was practically dragged out of his room by Midoriya, who wouldn't stand for his antisocialness. When Bakugou said those two words, the whole room fell silent. He was sitting on one of the coaches all by himself. Everyone else had crowded around him and left space for the person who was known to randomly begin throwing curses. Those two words had an impact though. Bakugou's bottom lip was quivering and his hands kept clenching and unclenching. He was looking down at his lap, unable to make eye contact with his classmates.

Shouto turned to Kirishima, who was sitting with his mouth wide open. His string, connected to Bakugou's, seemed to tug a bit. Bakugou's head shot straight up and his eyes looked at Kirishima. Both of their eyes met and then looked away. Shouto didn't really understand why, but Bakugou and Kirishima were blushing. Kirishima wasn't as bad as Bakugou though, with a clear shade of pink beginning to spread from the tip of his forehead all the way to his shoulder.

"We accept you, Bakugou!" Ashido yelled as she stood from her seat.

"That kind of makes sense." Sero sighed and crossed his arms.

"Yeah, I didn't take him to be straight anyway." Kaminari agreed with a sharp nod of his head.

"Kaminari, that's so rude! He legit just came out to us." Jirou poked the electric boy with an ear jack to the face.

Kaminari and Jirou, two true good friends. Their strings split into opposite directions into the abyss. Shouto could still see their friendly dynamic turning into something more though. Their care for each other proved something different to Shouto. It was that people could be happy, even if they weren't soulmates.

"We accept you, Bakugou." Midoriya smiled, repeating Ashido's words.

"We accept you, Bakugou!" Uraraka, next to Midoriya, repeated a bit more enthusiastically.

"We accept you, Bakugou." Shouto politely reassured.

Midoriya and Uraraka were sitting next to each other with their hands almost brushing. Their strings seemed to glow next to each other.

"We are open to your love of men, Bakugou, and accept you for who you are!" Iida nodded with a sure expression.

"Love of men? Wow, that's something I would never expect you to say. Nice going, prez." Kirishima let out an awkward laugh.

"CAN YOU GUYS TAKE THIS A BIT MORE SERIOUSLY?! THIS WAS SUPER FUCKING HARD TO DO!" his whole body was shaking.

"We can't really take it seriously because most of us already knew. We accept you though." Asui croaked then sighed.

"How could you already know?!" he was pulling his own hair in frustration.

"You didn't exactly try to hide it." Hagakure shrugged.

The whole room erupted into noise. Bakugou started yelling with pink on his face. Sero laughed boisterously as Kaminari and Jirou poked at each other. Shoji was sitting next to Mineta, who looked completely confused from Bakugou's coming out. Ojiro sighed next to Hagakure, who was bouncing in her seat. Aoyama sparkled with a grin. Koda was nervously clapping his hands together. Tokoyami was the only one who looked bored to death. However, the room became quiet as Kirishima stood up. Shouto's eyes widened as the string between the two boys tightened.

"I have an announcement too." Kirishima inhaled deeply then looked to Bakugou.

Shouto saw their eyes meet and stay meeting longer than before. There was a slight linger that touched not only their hearts, but the people around them as well. The half and half could feel the tension settle in the room. Everyone was waiting with questions running through their minds. Shouto turned his head to Midoriya, who put a hand over his own mouth like if he didn't, somehow secrets would spill.

"I'm gay also."

Noise erupted once again with yells of acceptance and smiles of knowing. Kirishima smiled at Bakugou, but he had his head down once again. His hands were steaming as he stood up from his seat and walked the few steps to Kirishima's face. Bakugou grabbed onto the other boy's collar.

"THANKS FOR STEALING MY THUNDER, SHITTY HAIR!"

"Woah a thanks from you! I'd steal your thunder anyday, Bakugou." he laughed.

* * *

Shouto held onto the textbook as he walked down the hallway. Kirishima had loaned him a textbook to use for studying, since he couldn't find his own at the moment. He opened the door to find a scene he wished he could erase from his memory completely. Shouto wanted to die right then and there for the mistake he had just made. He knew both Bakugou and Kirishima were soulmates and he was glad they found each other. However, he just didn't want to exactly get confirmation on such.

"GET OUT HALF AND HALF!" Bakugou shoved him out the door. It shut straight in his face.

The half ice and half fire user dropped the book onto the ground and quickly turned to walk _away_ from the door. He really didn't want to know what just happened and refused to even think about it. His expressionless face remained, but underneath was absolute panic.

* * *

He let his fingers trail on the spines of the books on the dusty bookshelf. His red string hadn't tugged or even moved very much since the age of seven. Shouto didn't know where or when he was going to meet his soulmate, but he wanted to so badly. It would just be nice to know someone who was meant to be with you from the beginning. Maybe if his mother found her soulmate before his father could take her away, she would be happy. Surely, Shouto wouldn't have been born, but she would've lived without regrets.

The library was busy on that Friday evening. His boss at the hero agency had let him go home early and even told him to have the whole day of Saturday off. It was strange to do such a thing. Shouto didn't have much to fill his free time other than possibly calling Midoriya or staying at the library till it closed at 9 PM. He felt a buzz come from his phone. Shouto sighed and took it out of his jacket pocket. The name "Ochako Uraraka" blared oh the phone's screen. Shouto reluctantly answered, abandoning the books.

"Hey Todoroki!" she quickly said.

"Hey Uraraka." he responded in the same monotone as always.

"I wanted to ask you if you would be attending Ashido's party this Saturday. I know hero work keeps most of us busy, but it'll be going on all day so we could make the attempt to just drop by. Ashido, herself, will be going back and forth." her voice was as jittery as ever.

"I actually have the whole day tomorrow off. I think the boss thinks I'm overworking myself." he frowned to himself.

"Well then, you should _definitely_ be there!" she chimed.

"I'll think about it."

"Todoroki, come on! I know if I was Midoriya, you would agree right away." he could hear her huff through the phone.

"Maybe. How is Midoriya by the way? He usually spends all his time with you, so I'd assume you know the best."

"H-He does nOT spend _all_ his time with me!" Uraraka managed to stammer out.

"We're all, what? In our early twenties now? You need to get a move on, Uraraka. We're all not in high school anymore." Todoroki sighed.

"I don't know what you're talking about!" she practically yelled into the phone's microphone.

"Still in denial, Uraraka? I thought you were going to confess, but time seems to be running out. Midoriya's been going on dates recently, hasn't he? Tick tock, tick tock." he taunted.

"I just wanted to tell you about the party, Todoroki. Why do you always have to bring this up?" she groaned.

"Because you've known Midoriya for years already with a crush that's turned to even more than that and you haven't acted upon it. Admittedly, even I'm starting to get annoyed."

"Just come to the party, Todoroki! I'll confess when I feel like it!"

The line went dead. Shouto sighed _again_ and shoved his phone back into a pocket. The man, standing with his back to the rest of the world, returned to the bookshelf. _I'll think about the party later._ Another buzz of the phone had Shouto pinching the bridge of his nose as he answered.

Shouto, sharply, said. "What?"

"Woah, you okay there Sho?" a concerned voice from the other line asked.

"Oh, Midoriya." he took in a deep breath.

"Hello to you as well." Shouto could practically hear his smile.

"Did Uraraka send you?"

"Maybe~"

"Did you say anything to her yet?"

"What do you mean?"

"About your feelings." he put it bluntly.

"Y-You're not supposed to talk about that! I told you once, okay?!"

"Talk. To. Her." Shouto rolled his eyes.

"I came here to talk about you, Todoroki, not me!"

"I don't want to talk about me. I don't like me." Shouto scowled at the other's exclamation.

"I'm gonna pick you up tomorrow and take you to that party at 7PM! Be ready and I already know you have an off day, so don't even try to make an excuse!"

"What if my leg is broken?"

"Todoroki!"

"Okay, okay. Fine, I'll go."

"Good, seen you then!"

Shouto shoved the phone back into the jacket pocket forcefully this time. _I can't believe I agreed. God, I hope my leg does break._ That's when he felt it. The tug of his string once again. His head shot up to look around him. He heard a woman laugh and saw the string moving behind a bookcase. Shouto felt all other thoughts leave him as he ran to look behind the bookcase. No one was there. All he saw was his string once again going into oblivion. He felt a tap on his shoulder and turned around. The librarian was there with a frown.

"No running in the library."

"Oh, I-uh. I'm sorry." he shook his head at her.

"Young people nowadays. Always ruining everything. You better skedaddle out of my sight before I kick you out.

"Yes ma'am! My apologies."

He walked further from her to behind the letter "X" bookcase. Shouto took in a deep breath and let himself relax. _I was so close…_ He couldn't keep himself still. His foot tapped onto the ground as he looked at his pinky finger. The red string stopped tugging, lying limp once again. _Good for nothing string._

A/N: Welcome to Strawberry Milk Tea! This fanfic will be replacing Pose For Me as a modern AU. Pose For Me, a story that've had fun writing for, has grown boring to write now. I've hence abandoned it and will be posting this short fic for a bit. Pose For Me will be deleted soon and I'm glad if you enjoyed it while it lasted. Thank you for reading this author note and please enjoy this fic!


	2. we've never met before but

A/N: This chapter was based off of this song: watch?v=BeI6an1Fy6E Feel free to listen to it while you read 3

* * *

He looked down at his phone. _6:43 PM already?_ Shouto was walking out of the gym with a sweat towel over his head. His apartment was only a walk away from it, so he took the time by himself to just think. _A quick shower before Midoriya gets here wouldn't hurt._ Earbuds were in his ears and the usual expressionless face was on as his mind hopped from thought to thought. _My string tugged for the first time in the last few years._ He lifted up his pinky finger. The string was still as thin as ever, but shined in the reflected light of the street lamps.

* * *

"Hey Todoroki!" Midoriya greeted the man as he entered the car through the shotgun seat.

"Yo." Shouto shut the door behind him.

Izuku Midoriya, also known as his hero name Deku, was quickly rising the hero rankings since his debut. He was strong, no one could doubt that. However, that strength was gained through trial and error. Scars decorated his body from the tip of his head to the soles of his feet. His curly hair had gotten longer throughout the years and hair cuts did not help out at all. The man was more stable than when he was in high school, but he had his moments.

"Ready to have some fun?" he started driving off onto the street.

"Our ideas of fun differ greatly, Midoriya." Shouto sighed and ran a hand through his hair.

"But aren't you excited?! This an opportunity to meet some new people. Our lives as heroes has been hard, but taking a break once in a while doesn't hurt."

"Yes it does. Villains don't rest, so why should we?" he grumbled.

"Because we deserve it." Midoriya smiled to him.

"Midoriya, that doesn't make sense." Shouto looked at him in disbelief.

"Yes, it does. You're just too dense to understand that."

"I'm not."

Shouto rolled his eyes at Midoriya. The two continued on with the ride. Shouto looked out the window. He felt a tug from his string. It was glowing, as if it was hopeful for something to happen. Shouto sighed and stuck his hand into a jacket pocket. _Good for nothing string..._

He saw it. The plume of smoke rising high into the air as they drove through the sub urban area. The red flames were high in the air. Shouto's head almost rammed straight into Midoriya's from how quickly the two turned from each other. The car came to a sudden halt and the two dashed to get out of the vehicle.

"I'll call the fire department. What street are we on, Todoroki?!" his fingers flew to dial as they ran towards the fire.

"Use your GPS, Midoriya. I need to get over there and put out the fire!" frost began to form over Shouto's arm. He felt the tug of his red string once again. _Why now?!_

"Isn't there heroes nearby? There's patrols in this area, aren't there?!"

The two emerged into the area where the fire was taking place. Four houses had already caught on fire. People were out of their homes on their phones calling. Neighbors and passersby were gathered, watching the fire consume everything in its path.

"Help, my husband is still in there!"

"My son, my son!"

"Who caused the fire?!"

That's when they heard it. A high pitched cry of a child from inside the house furthest away from them. They exchanged a single look with each other.

"We go in there and get everyone out. Don't iceberg everything." Midoriya said.

Shouto nodded. They bolted off towards the houses. Midoriya went straight into the nearest one, leaving Shouto to the next. That's when he felt it. The string tugged him to the furthest house. His head turned to find someone running into it. He couldn't tell who it was or what they looked like. His whole mind hyper focused onto one detail of them. On their pinky finger was a red string. It glowed in the darkness and its end was on Shouto's finger. He turned and started running toward the furthest house.

Inside, there was smoke everywhere. Shouto put the neck of his shirt over his face. He could see the whole house breaking apart from the inside. Pipes and plaster were fallen on the floor. He heard another cry from up the stairs. Heat was swirling and hitting every inch of his body. Shouto ran up the stairs. He rushed down the hall, where he saw a woman standing in a doorway. Her hair was high up in a spiky ponytail. His string kept tugging towards her hand.

"Miss, please evacuate the area, it's dangerous in h-" he grabbed onto her arm, but then he saw it.

There was a little boy inside the room. Two burning and charring bodies were on the ground next to him. One of a woman and the other of a man. The smell of human flesh killed every nerve in Shouto's body. The little boy was on fire, but not hurt. He was in the corner of the room, flames licking every part of his body. Shouto couldn't tell what his hair or face looked like from the fire.

He turned to the woman. A soft expression overtook her face. The kindest eyes and calmest brows adorned every inch of it. He let go of her arm as she began to inch closer to the child. They were crying, wailing, screaming, and all the in betweens over their parents bodies. A quirk manifestation gone wrong.

"Hey." her voice was as smooth.

"Go away!" the little boy wailed. The flames on the little boy's body grew as she got closer. The room got so hot, it was like an oven. Smoke was filling Shouto's lungs.

"It's going to be okay." she pulled the fabric of her shirt up to cover her mouth and nose.

"YOU CAN'T HELP ME!" the flames kept climbing, increasing the room's temperature dramatically. Shouto's right side couldn't help at all as his ice couldn't take the immense heat.

"I-I can!" he spoke up. The little boy's head turned to him as did the woman's. "I have an ice quirk. We can extinguish everything and everything will be okay." Shouto dared to edge closer to the two. In that small moment, the flames got smaller.

"I don't know what to do." the child was crying again. "I can't control it!"

"This nice man here will help you, it's okay. H-He'll help you." the woman allowed Shouto to move closer to the child.

"I'm here to help." he forced his right side to take over. Bits of frost formed over his right hand. Shouto put his hand out towards the little boy.

"Here to h-help?" the child hiccuped. "L-Like a hero?" the flames began to diminish and grow smaller around the boy.

"Yes, a hero. My hero name is Frostfire."

"You're Frostfire?" the child's flames went out as Shouto extended his right hand to him.

"Yeah." he gave him a reassuring smile. Shouto took it upon himself to lightly tap the child's forehead, leaving a bit of frost there.

The flames around the three people were still ongoing. Shouto quickly picked up the child and let his right hand rest on his forehead. The woman stood there, a hand over her heart at the two.

"You're Frostfire?" her mouth was open in disbelief. Their strings were tugging towards one another so strongly, it was almost like they would fly into each other.

"Yes." Shouto replied simply. He grabbed her hand with his left. "Let's get out of here." Their strings glowed as their fingers nestled against one another. _It's so…_

A loud crash came from the hallway. Shouto walked down the hall with the two to find the stairs destroyed by a piece of fallen roof. The house was exposed to the outside's dark sky. The roof above them was unstable. Shouto could see it beginning to wobble. He had two options and only one seemed good enough for himself in that moment. He stomped his right foot onto the floorboards beneath him. A small dome of ice consumed the three people. They were encased in a protective bubble as the ceiling above them fell onto the ice. There wasn't a single crack.

* * *

The little boy was clinging onto the man's shirt for dear life. Momo watched the man. No, the hero, Frostfire, as he looked up to the fallen ceiling above them. The thick layer of ice preventing harm to come to the three. She let out a breath she didn't know she was holding in. He had just saved them all. He saved Momo from her stupid decision to run into the house with no plan. He saved the little boy from his out of control quirk manifestation. He saved everyone with words and his own strength.

They were still holding hands. Momo was quick to loosen her grip on his hand, but for a short second he held on. She opened her mouth to say something, but immediately closed it. His hand held onto her own, squeezing it gently.

They were out of the protective bubble. Momo could see ambulances and people gathered around the extinguished houses. Police cars and a fire truck were also there. A green haired man with scars on his hands ran towards the three of them. Frostfire was still holding her hand. She shyly squeezed his. He automatically let go and pulled his hand back. Momo watched him rub the back of his neck and give her a smile as if to apologize.

"Todoroki, we have the area secure! There's a few other heroes that got here from patrol. Everyone's safe and accounted for except the people from the house you went in. What happened?" the man asked, pointing to the little boy that was clinging onto Frostfire.

"Get a medic to check up on these two, Midoriya." Frostfire tried to hand the child to the other man, but he wouldn't budge.

"No!" the child yelled.

"Nevermind, I got it." he grabbed onto Momo's hand again to lead them to the ambulance.

"You keep doing it." she pointed out as they neared the ambulance.

"What?" he looked back to her.

"Holding my hand." Momo lifted up their intertwined fingers to prove a point.

"Ah, I'm sorry!" he immediately let go and put both his arms around the child. "I'm sorry again. My apologies, miss." She swore she saw blush on his face.

* * *

The little boy wouldn't let go of Shouto. One of the medics was fussing over him, but he kept clinging onto Shouto's shoulder. The woman was being attended to by another medic nearby. She was quietly talking with them. Their string tugged near each other once again.

"Well, I've never had such stubbornness in my life, dear god!" the medic exclaimed.

"Hey." Shouto turned to look at the child. "You can let go. Everything's okay now."

"Where's my mommy and daddy?" he asked.

"Don't worry. They're safe now." Shouto lied.

"You saved them?" the little boy's grip loosened on his shirt.

"Yes." Shouto lied again. "Now, let's let this nice medic help you, alright?"

"O-Okay." he let go of his shirt completely, allowing Shouto to place him down onto the edge of the ambulance.

A hand was placed onto his shoulder. He immediately turned to find Midoriya there. His face was relaxed, but every other part of his body said otherwise. There were bandages on his arms and around his torso. Parts of his shirt was burnt off with soot all over his body. The ends of his hair were stinged and redness from the heat irritation was painted onto his face.

"So, a job well done?" he placed his elbow onto Shouto's shoulder, looking at the woman and boy.

"Not exactly." he crossed his arms, joining Midoriya in looking at the two. "The kid's parents are dead." he whispered.

"What?!" Midoriya said a little too loudly.

"Keep it down!" Shouto hissed.

"We need to report to the boss on this incident. You got any clues on how the fire started?" he pulled out his phone.

"Quirk manifestation got out of control. I don't want to ask the kid right now, but…"

"I gotcha. Let's just take it slow. I'll talk to the police."

"Thanks."  
Shouto made his way over to the woman. The medic had already checked up on her. As far as he could see, she looked completely fine. That was a huge relief. He walked up to her. Their string kept tugging both of them together. Her hand was resting on her side as she turned towards him. He stopped. She wasn't what Shouto was expecting, but at the same time he didn't know what he expected in the first place. Her hair was a mess from the fire and soot was on her face, but she kept the same soft look as when he first saw her. He lifted his hand up and kept it up, hesitating.

"We've never met before, but can we have coffee or something?"

* * *

A/N: Things are heating up uwu

hey, you! Yeah, you! Thank you for reading this fanfic chapter. Be sure to come back next Sunday for the continuation of Strawberry Milk Tea.

Any thoughts on the chapter or the story in general? Why's the fanfic titled Strawberry Milk Tea? Is anyone else able to see the red string of fate? More Todomomo?


	3. Strawberry Milk Tea - Extras I

My apologies, but Strawberry Milk Tea will have no chapter this week just like my other fanfic, Win Her Favor. There will be a new chapter in full swing for next Sunday with plenty of fluffy Todomomo for your hearts. But, while you're here, I'd like to just give some basic author's/writing notes about the story for those interested.

-Strawberry Milk Tea gained its title from a scene in the anime of Shoto drinking strawberry milk when he was talking with his mother. The title is meant to give readers that light, airy feeling when you see pastel colors. This fanfic is meant to be sweet, like milk tea, but just as all milk does, it spoils. *wink wink nudge nudge to the Fluff and Angst tag if you're on Ao3/Wattpad, if you're on uh yeah*

-I began writing Strawberry Milk Tea after listening to the "What's a soulmate?" audio from youtube. You can find it at this link: watch?v=TSU8Zs0VvmI

-Throughout the fanfic, Shoto will be our main point of view, unlike my fanfic Win Her Favor which has multiple POVs. There, of course, will be some POV in Momo and other supporting characters, but Shoto is where we'll be getting the most information from.

-This will be a shorter fanfic ranging from 10-15 chapters. We are currently in the first arc where Momo and Shoto are getting to know each other. There will be bits of time skips with them dating and such, but eventually the story will end with a timeskip further into the future. It'll end on a happy note that I'm excited to someday share with you all when we get there.

Overall, thank you for supporting my story and please have a wonderful day. Come back next Sunday for a new chapter, sweetly titled "It's okay" with the song mix called It's okay from the youtube channel Lophee: watch?v=zWR8DmMYwL8


	4. It's okay

She brushed a lock of hair behind her ear. The man before her was strange. He saved her and the little boy with almost no issue, but his attempt to talk to her was charming. His slightly outstretched hand towards her invited her for something more than the man. He couldn't seem to notice it himself, but the slightest shade of pink was appearing on his pale face. She glanced at his hand. Momo placed her own in it.

"I'd love to, but shouldn't we know each other's names first?" she chuckled as his face grew pinker.

"Uh, yeah, we should. I'm sorry. You already know me as Frostfire, but my name is Shouto Todoroki. It's nice to meet you."

"Pleasure to meet you as well, Todoroki, though I kind of already knew your name. My name is Momo Yaoyorozu, I'll debuting under the hero name Creati soon." Momo shook his hand, which had been holding onto her own instead of shaking.

"Yes, I'll see you out there?" a small nervous smile emerged onto his lips.

"Yes? Why did you say yes?" she tilted her head towards him.

"Um…" he couldn't meet her eyes. "I don't know."  
"Well, do you want to exchange numbers?" Momo took charge of the conversation.

"I mean, sure. We wouldn't be able to communicate otherwise and uh yeah." he pulled out his phone, seeming to have regained some of his posture.

* * *

Shouto drove away with Midoriya from the scene with a wistful smile on his face and Yaoyorozu's phone number in his contacts. He kept glancing at it on his phone screen. Midoriya gave him a small smile. They were heading onward to Mina's party. The two men had parted from the fire area and left the police to do their investigation work.

"I've never seen you so interested in someone before. Who is she?"

"Momo Yaoyorozu. She said that she was going to be debuting as the hero Creati soon."

"Huh?!" Midoriya almost stopped the car right there. "Momo Yaoyorozu was one of the people who were recommended into U. A. like you! She didn't go because she went to Shiketsu instead, but she's _really_ highly skilled. Uraraka sometimes talks about her."

"What?" Shouto's eyes widened.

"You just scored big time, Todoroki!"

* * *

When Shouto and Midoriya arrived to Ashido's house, Uraraka practically broke down the front door to hug the two. She kept her arms around them tight with her voice straining. Shouto could spot Ashido with a hand on her chest. A few people from inside came rushing outside to see Midoriya and him. Their class 1-A friends, bright and passionate like always. Shouto sighed, accepting the other people's worries. Kaminari was next to him along with Jirou. The two were bright as ever with their hands intertwined together.

"Don't you two dare worry us like that again! You always keep getting injured, Deku." Uraraka finally let them go.

"Well, it's okay. We were able to get everyone out safely, that's what's important."

"Why are you two even here?! You should be at home right now." Kaminari pointed out. He was holding a cup and had headphones over his neck.

"Some things never change with you two. Always getting into trouble." Jirou rolled her eyes.

"We're perfectly fine. Todoroki ended up saving a couple people. Including someone who I think is a friend of your's, Uraraka. You don't talk about her that much, but you've mentioned her before a-" Midoriya was cut off.

"Todoroki?"

Shouto's eyes, which had been dazed and unfocused, were now wide open and looking straight at the woman at the door with Ashido. There she was in all her glory. The soot on her face had been washed away, but there was still ash in her hair. He immediately froze as their strings tugged towards each other again. She brushed a loose strand of hair behind her ear. Their strings were glowing. Everyone was looking in between the two.

"You two have met?!" Uraraka pried herself away from Midoriya, turning towards Yaoyorozu.

"Actually, we just met today. He's the hero who saved me from the house." she gave him a shy wave.

"WHAT?!" Uraraka's head did a complete 180 towards him.

"It's what heroes do?" Shouto tried taking a page from Deku's book and say something heroic to get Uraraka off his back. His voice ended up betraying him as it went an octave higher than it usually was.

"Woah, Todoroki getting flustered? Never thought I would ever see it!" Kaminari joked. Jirou immediately poked his eye with an ear jack. "Ah!"

"So you two finally decided to show up?"

Everyone's head turned to Bakugou at the doorway. His head turned from Yaoyorozu to Shouto, then back again. He immediately scowled and rolled his eyes.

"Hey Kaachan! How's the party going?" Midoriya grinned.

"Great until you two got here." he shoved his hands into his pockets, turning away from the two to go back inside. "Hurry up and get in here, everyone else wants to see you dumbasses."

"Bakugou, what the hell is with your language?!" Uraraka ran off from Midoriya's side into the house.

"Hey, hey, everyone chill out! Uraraka, don't float Bakugo around!" Ashido ran into the house to follow the two.

"Jirou, do you want to start up a party game with me?" Kaminari was walking back inside with her.

"Just promise me it won't end in us calling Iida again. He doesn't understand prank calls."

"I should go make sure Uraraka is alright." Midoriya pat Shouto's back with a grin and bolted into the house.

Yaoyorozu leaned against the door frame as he passed. She smiled at Shouto, who was standing dumbfoundedly at everyone suddenly leaving.

"They're a bright bunch, aren't they?"

"Yeah. Always have been and always will be." he gave some sort of half smile towards her.

"Would you like to join them?" she brushed a lock of hair behind her ear.

He. Couldn't. Stop. Staring. The string connecting their pinkies kept tugging towards each other. It was like the forces behind the string wanted him to get even closer to her, which he seriously could not do considering how he had just met her _that_ day. Shouto kept closing and opening his mouth to reply to her, to get literally anything out, but nothing came. He rubbed the back of his neck and looked away from her.

"Do you have something to say?" Yaoyorozu walked down the steps, her hands behind her back. She tilted her head at him curiously.

"No?"

"No?" she repeated his question. "Are you sure?"

"Yes?"

"You keep doing that." Yaoyorozu put a finger up.

"Doing what?"

"Saying things like they're a question."

"I guess?"

"There you go doing it again." she giggled.

"I-Is it meant to be funny?"

"No, it's more…" she tapped a finger to her lips. "Endearing."

"Oh."

"Oh?" Yaoyorozu moved in a little closer to him with a teasing tone.

"TODOROKI, COME HERE!" Ashido's voice from inside rang.

"Ah, well you're very observant." he moved around her to walk towards the door into Ashido's house. Shouto stopped at the door frame, looking back to her.

"And you're very courteous." she past by him with a small smile on her lips to walk inside.

The inside of the house was wild. The TV was on with some sort of video game flashing on the screen. Kaminari and Jirou were with Koda and Tokoyami. They were sitting around a coffee table with a board game on it. Pieces were thrown about and cups were placed in awkward places as Tokoyami said his line, "Revelry in the dark." when Jirou drew another card. Uraraka and Midoriya were chatting along on the coach. Sero and Shoji were partaking in the video game, both of them giving looks towards each other.

It always went back to Bakugou. The man stood in the corner of the room, mindlessly looking towards the TV. Shouto tried not to stare at him. Ever since the incident, it had been hard to keep looking on. The dangling string from Bakugou's pinky finger was a constant reminder. It was broken. A frail string that never tugged or flared with life. No one wanted to be reminded of that day.

Ashido grasped onto Shouto's shoulders.

"Come with me, we're going to the kitchen!"

A pair of floating shorts and shirt in the kitchen pointed a spoon to the two. Shouto sighed. _Hagakure…_ The sweet smell of pastries caught his nose. Sato stood near the oven, constantly looking at his watch for when whatever was in it would be done. The spoon moved closer to Shouto's face and soon enough tapped onto his nose. The red string on her invisible hand twisted throughout the kitchen to Ojirou. He gave a small smile to Shouto, encouraging him to say something to the two women.

"Look at this pretty boy trying something new!" Hagakure tapped his nose with the spoon again.

"Huh?"

"A video of you holding Yaoyorozu's hand went viral. My fans have been messaging it to me for the last hour! It'll be all over the news, Todoroki!" Ashido let go of his shoulders and sighed. "Out of all of us, I never thought of you being the irresponsible one with your public image." she put her hands on her hips with a huff.

"It was nothing romantic. I was just reassuring her after a traumatic experience. Aizawa taught us a lot about it in high school and I wanted to start getting bett-"

"But the media's going to misinterpret it! You're going to have to deal with a bunch. Be careful next time, Todoroki. Yaoyorozu's just about to debut and having something like this might bite back." Shouto could imagine her frowning.

"Sorry?"

"Say it more definitely!" Mina pointed a finger to his face.

"Sorry." he sighed at the two's enthusiasm.

"Good! Now, do you wanna help us ice Sato's cookies?"

"Like literal ice or—"

"We mean frosting ice, Todoroki. Frosting ice." Hagakure pulled out a bag of it from the fridge to show him.

"Yeah. That sounds right."

* * *

"Ooo! Can I help?"

She was too fucking close. The smell of her perfume intoxicated Shouto and he couldn't get enough of it. Judging from his little knowledge of perfumes from obscure things Aoyama says and what he remembers from high school, she was wearing the Midnight brand of perfume. A sweet and alluring scent that calm every nerve of the body. Yaoyorozu stood next to him, looking over at the cookie he was trying to ice. Hagakure, Ashido, and Sato had already blasted through icing twenty so far, but he was still on his first one. He couldn't seem to do it right.

"We don't have any more icing bags, but you can switch off with Todoroki. He seems to be struggling there." Ashido teased.

"I'm not much of an expert in," he tried to outline the shape of the circle cookie, but the red icing went off onto the counter again. Shouto huffed. "Controlled movements."

"Here, let me help you!"

He handed the icing bag to her and let her take a go at it. Yaoyorozu's hands were steady and slow as the cookie started to fill with icing. Shouto just stared, perplexed to how she was doing it so perfectly. The cookie was about halfway filled when she turned to him. It all flowed nicely together and had the smoothest surface.

"Would you like to give it another go?" she smiled at him.

"I wouldn't want to ruin what you've already done."

"You won't." she handed the bag to him.

Shouto started slowly going over on the rest of the cookie. His hands had the strangest tremble to them. The icing went onto the table again. He quietly place the icing bag onto the table and shrugged at her. She picked up the bag, giving him a wink.

"It's okay."

* * *

A/N: I've been racking my head over this fic for the past months and I'm finally ready to start pursuing it again. I hope you're all doing well and enjoying it. Look forward to more regular uploads of chapters

Also, hey, what happened to Bakugou's string? O-o

If you want to find the music for this chapter, it's titled "It's okay" and it's from the YT channel Ambition.


	5. if you carry your childhood with you

"I have to get going."

"So soon, Kacchan?"

"You know why, Deku."

Bakugou was at the door, zipping up his coat and running a hand through his hair. In the past few years, he has gotten calmer. A demeanor that many of the class couldn't have dreamed of in high school. However, that calm became something different on that day. That day one year ago from tomorrow.

Everyone still grieved. Shouto still caught Midoriya crying over pictures. He caught Uraraka scheduling visits to the grave every week. He watched Kaminari leave meetings early everyday to drink a beer at the grave and just talk. Shouto noticed Ashido in the kitchen, murmuring aloud as if he was still there. It all went back to Bakugou, though. He never acted like he was still here. That day changed him for the worse.

"Have a good night, Bakugou."

Yaoyorozu was an unfamiliar light. She probably didn't know how much death affected the man, but the soft look in her eyes and her small smile said everything that was needed. Shouto watched their strings tug towards each other. _Guess I'll have to get used to that_. The need to be near her was growing stronger each passing second.

"Thanks. Good night to you too, uh, Yaoyorozu."

Out the door he went, a hood over his head with a light tug. I made eye contact with Midoriya and practically could hear his thoughts. _Bakugou doesn't usually address people by their real names. But he just did with Yaoyorozu so…_ She sat with her hands in her lap and a curious perk to her eyes. Shouto swore to himself. She was strangely calm around people she didn't know. It was unnerving, but reassuring at the same time.

She clapped her hands together, gesturing to Ashido, whose mouth remained wide open in surprise. "So, should we start the party games?"

* * *

Shouto exited his apartment building. He had a simple outfit on with a cap to cover his hair. It was always too noticeable and paparazzi had a tendency to find him easily.

Today was supposed to be easy, but it felt so difficult already. He had the list of objectives in his head. _Get on the train. Go to the hero agency building. Go on patrol. Get off of work. Get picked up by Midoriya and go visit the grave. Go home._ He stopped midwalk and squeezed the strap of his satchel. _Maybe call Yaoyorozu?_ He shook his head and kept walking. _Not today_.

His string tugged from behind him. He turned on his heel, looking back at the sidewalk before him. There was nothing there, just the birds and slight breeze of the morning. The string kept going and going off into the distance. It tugged again, almost taunting him. _Okay...maybe I will call her_. He continued walking to the train station.

 _Are you fucking serious?_ Usually the early morning commute wasn't that bad, but it seemed like all of Japan was on that train. When Shouto finally stepped out of the train onto the station's platform, he sighed. The train car was just too stuffy. Red strings were intertwining and criss crossing throughout the whole train. If the string was an actual object, it would have suffocated everyone to death. He took his cap off and ran a hand through his hair. It was slightly damp from his sweat.

"OH MY GOD IS THAT FROSTFIRE?!"  
He turned his head to see two schoolgirls pointing at him. Maybe dying his hair a more natural color would make his life easier. More people began pointing at him. _Shit_.

* * *

"Sho, what took you so long?"

"Well…"

Shouto gave a defeated look to Midoriya. The green haired man's string was resting much like a limp noodle. The morning had been absolute chaos. He was ready to give up and take the day off. Paparazzi was never fun as they gave him a whole "Quiet Cool Guy" persona that he couldn't live up to. He practically froze once people started taking pictures of him. Shouto had gotten escorted by a police officer to the hero agency through all the commotion. It was tiring.

"Not that good of a morning, huh?" Midoriya gave him a smirk.

"Yeah."

"Well, then go and do this for the boss, will ya?"

He handed him a file. It was thin, practically nothing was in it, so Shouto didn't expect much. When he opened it, he scanned the contents. A picture of a small boy and lines of information. An address was written on a sticky note and stuck onto the paper. The kid was familiar. The one from yesterday, but now Shouto could clearly see him. His hair was black and eyes a piercing blue. His appearance was unfitting for someone with a fire quirk.

"It's the kid." he said.

"Yup. Boss wants you to visit him. He's staying with his aunt and uncle until further notice."

"Wait, does the boss want me to visit him _now_?"

"They said as soon as possible, so sure."

* * *

 _Knock knock_.

"Hello?"

Okay, maybe Shouto should've been more prepared on what he was going to say. Maybe he should have asked Midoriya because Midoriya usually always knows what to say. He stood there in front of the older woman. Her hair a bit disheveled and eyes wide in curiosity. She waved her hand in front of his face.

"Hello?"

"Oh, yes!" he shook his head. _Snap out of it_. "Hello. My name is Shouto Todoroki, also known as the fire and ice hero Frostfire. I was sent here by my hero agency to visit a boy I saved yesterday. Do you happen to be his aunt?"

"Yes, I am. My name is Machi. I called your hero agency because Aki has been asking about you and also…" she put a finger to her lips, decisive. "I need to ask you something, Frostfire."

"What is it?"

"Come in first. Sorry that it's a bit of a mess. My husband and I are in the midst of moving into the apartment. You can take a seat on the coach."

It was a homey place. Cardboard boxes and stacks of items were thrown about, but at the end of it all, it felt _filled_. There were nails on the walls and paintings beneath them, ready to be hung. Shouto had to stop himself from reaching out a hand to touch them. Small, hand-shaped charred spots on the walls worried him. The red strings of fate zigged and zagged across furniture. He took a seat on the coach. It was brown and smelled of old books from the library.

"Would you like some tea?" there was a tink of teacups from the kitchen where the woman disappeared off to.

"No, I have to get going after this. I wouldn't want to intrude."

"No, no. It's fine, please." her voice wavered.

"Then, sure."

The hot cup of tea was placed in front of him. Its steam rose upward and touched his nose. The woman took a chair and sat across from him, the table in between them. She took a single sip of her tea, placed it down, and took in a deep inhale.

"Aki, the little boy you saved, is out at my husband's office right now. I-I didn't really want to do this, but life has been difficult lately. Aki's fire quirk has been hard for him to control. The items we bought for him, such as a nonflammable suit, are expensive. Since you are a fire quirk user yourself, I wanted to ask you for some advice. Is there a training school or any way he can learn to control it?"

"I-I'm not sure. I was trained when I was younger, bu-"

Shouto stopped. _Maybe…_ He got out his phone.

"I'm sorry, but I think I might be able to help you. Could I step outside to make a call?"

"Of course. Please do." she gave him a curt nod.

He nodded back and exited the apartment. It was growing warmer outside as the morning hours passed. Shouto scrolled through his contacts and stopped. One number and one name, but years of pain tied to it. The man was changing, Shouto couldn't doubt that, but the fire and ice user couldn't bring himself to call that man anything other than his first name.

 _Mommy, are you okay?_

 _You hurt her and that's why she's gone._

 _It's all your fault._

 _You tried making me proud, but failed in the end._

 _I hope you die._

Shouto lowered down his phone. He didn't know if this was the right choice. He should call Midoriya first or even Bakugou and see what they thought. But something compelled him to lift the phone, click the number, and begin the call.

"Shouto? I was just in the middle of a combat lesson with one of my students, what do you need?"

"Hey, Enji."

* * *

Shouto grew up within these walls. They housed him throughout childhood and kept him safe, but at the same time kept him at the mercy of his family. He had already called the hero agency. He told his boss that he needed the day off and his boss happily obliged. They were glad Shouto was using his vacation days. He stopped at the front door. He still had a pair of keys, but his fingers quickly went to the bell before he could pull them out. The door opened as if the person behind it was waiting for him.

A little girl stood there. Her hair was a vibrant red just like her eyes. She tilted her head at Shouto and pursed her lips. Mizuki Saito, aged 12, one of his father's many students. Endeavor had recently begun giving private lessons for children of the elite. They all hoped to someday get into hero schools. It wasn't exactly something his father should be proud of for limiting the lessons to wealthy families, but it made sense. There was a reason why he couldn't do hero work anymore.

"Are you here to see sensei?"

"Uh, yeah. Where is he?"

"He'll be here, just wait up."

 _Squeak squeak_. The sound of unoiled wheels came from down the hall. Shouto walked past the little girl at the door into the house. His feet felt the familiar tatami. His nose caught the familiar smells of bamboo and ash. He truly was at home again.

He turned the corner to see his father. It was strange to see him. Accidents always happened in hero work, but Shouto never expected one to down his father for so long. Maybe he thought he deserved it for all he had done in the past. The scar on his face was a reminder, but something else cemented the past into Enji for forever.

"Welcome home, Shouto."

The wheelchair.

"Mizuki, you're dismissed."

"Thank you for teaching me, sensei. I'll see you next week."

"Yes, take care."

"Of course."

The little girl gave a small bow of thankfulness then exited out the door. Enji promptly turned the wheels of his wheelchair and went back down the hall, Shouto following behind. The former #1 hero always said nothing could get to him, but somethings couldn't be prevented. His legs were still there, but didn't work. He tried everything. Every pill, every healing quirk, but nothing was permanent. So here was the life of the formerly known Endeavor, a now mentor for the future heroes.

They entered into the courtyard. It still had the same green grass and koi pond as before. Enji stayed in his wheelchair, folding his hands together. Shouto followed and sat down next to him. They stayed like that, feeling each other's presence after such a long time. Enji broke the silence.

"You need something, don't you?"

"How'd you know?"

"You never call unless you need something."

"Oh."

Shouto rubbed the back of his neck and leaned back onto the wooden porch. He looked up to see a tree's leaves. They rustled in the wind and protected him and Enji from the sun.

"If it's about your mother, then I-"

"No, it's not about her." he shook his head

"Then, what is it?"

"There was a boy I saved the other day."

"Yes, I saw that on the news." Enji murmured.

"He has a fire quirk."

"Oh? What are the specifics?"

"I think he's able to ignite his whole body into flames."

"Interesting."

"His family is having trouble with his quirk and I wanted to ask-"

"Bring him here tomorrow morning. Eight o'clock sharp."

"Huh?" Shouto turned his head so quickly that he almost gave himself whiplash.

"Ooo, let me get some tea."

He placed his hands onto the wheels of the chair and turned himself in the other direction. Shouto stared at his back in disbelief. His father changed the tone of the conversation quickly like he had already made his mind up. _He wants tea, now?_ Enji squeaked away back into the house. Shouto sharply inhaled. He lied back onto the wooden porch, feeling the wind brush through his hair. He closed his eyes.

He had been trying to look away. He had been trying to not make a face or show any indication of surprise, but he couldn't any more. Shouto gulped. His father had moved away with a broken red string trailing behind him.

* * *

"Shouto."

He opened his eyes to Enji placing a tray down between them. His father had trouble leaning over to the ground. Shouto sighed and brushed his hand away from the teapot. He took it upon himself to pour tea for the both of them. He handed the teacup to Enji. The former hero gave a nod then took a sip. Shouto held onto his own cup. The broken string and his own connected string brushed along the ground together. He took a sip, his hand shaking.

"I'm sorry that I never call."

"If you carry your childhood with you, you never become older. I understand, my son. You are growing up into a fine man."

* * *

A/N: I keep disappearing, but I promise that I will always come back. This chapter has been very easy to write, but I've mixed up some of the story events - that's why it took so long to get out.

Also a confirmation: Yes, Kirishima is 100% dead, Enji's soulmate is 100% dead, and I'm still on the fence on whether I should do a flashback to reveal how Kirishima died or to keep it an ambiguous thing.

I took a different approach to Enji and Shouto's relationship from what I've seen done. I really love Endeavor redemption arcs, but I don't want it to be a big focus in this fanfic because so many people have already done it so well. It'll be a little thing.

If you have any questions/comments/concerns please express them below and as always, have a wonderful day!


	6. Excuse me, why are you so cute?

_I have the rest of the day off_. He sat on a train station's bench, his cap pulled over his hair. The train whistled by quickly with unfamiliar faces. He sighed and stood up. _Might as well go visit mother_. His feet took him down the steps and through the streets. His breathing was even, but then he caught a whiff of something. He inhaled and looked up to the sky. A large plume of smoke rose above the buildings. It swirled up into the air. _Recent. The smoke's just started climbing. Urban area. Danger of fire to other buildings._ He clutched the strap of his messenger bag and ran.

Heroes were already on the scene. A barricade prevented civilians from getting near the building. Sirens blared as Shouto scrambled to the front of the crowd to look at to the hero work. One of the heroes sent blasts of water from their hands onto the flames. Another hero, this one with bulging muscles, attempted to keep the crowds back.

"Please vacate the area! The building could combust and more people could be injured."

A news reporter hastily went live with a camera in her face.

"The fire has just started downtown at the Cennica Building! People are being evacuated and a crowd has already gathered. Look at all the heroes. Aquamarine, the aquarium hero, is hard at work. Wait, there's someone else though!"

From the flames came out a female hero and a civilian, who had their arm over her shoulders. The two stumbled away from the building. Their red strings seemed to be strained. Shouto felt a tug at his own string. _Wait, is that-_

"The creation hero, Creati has made her debut! This dazzling enchantress attended Shiketsu and her hero training shines through. Don't you just love her costume! The maroon and tan go so well together."

There Yaoyorozu was. Her hair was a mess with ashes in it and soot smothered her face. Shouto and her's strings tugged towards each other. _She's finally made her debut._ She handed off the civilian to a paramedic, then immediately turned and ran towards the building's entrance to go in again. _She's hard at work._

 _Crack._ The sound was undeniable. Shouto's eyes shot towards the buildings top floors. Cracks in the exterior walls made his breath hitch. The world stopped as the building began to collapse.

Shouto could see it, the red string straining against the world. He threw off the cap and black jacket. That string always annoyed him. It always tugged and pulled him in all different directions. But, for once, that little tug was all he needed.

He jumped over the barricade. His right arm covered itself with frost as he put his left arm in front of her. Her, someone who he had only met yesterday, mattered more than anything in those moments. His arm swiped through the air.

An iceberg jutted from the ground. The dense ice climbed high into the air and jagged tips formed at the ends. The temperature of the surrounding area dropped drastically as Shouto exhaled, his left side quickly acting to compensate for the cold.

Silence. Not a single word was spoken from the crowd until an outburst.

"It's Frostfire, the fire and ice hero! He's appeared in civilian clothing and stopped the collapse of the building. The fire has been extinguished completely! What a marvel!"

Shouto's eyes went to trail along the sight of the iceberg he created. _I went overboard_. He turned back to speak with her, but her head was tilted away from him. She stood so still with clouds of her breath coming from her mouth. Yaoyorozu gaped.

" _Incredible._ "

* * *

Shouto desperately tried to pull his cap over his face even _more_ than it already was. He sat in Pro Hero Uwabami's office and he was not excited for when she arrived. He shouldn't have burst out into another hero's mission. He stole someone's publicity and his boss would have to deal with it.

Yaoyorozu sat next to him, still in her hero costume. He peaked at her. Her eyes were already looking at him. They whipped their heads away from each other. _Holy shit, I can't do this right now._ He felt a tug of their strings.

"Sorry, I shouldn't stare, it's rude." she rushedly said.

"You didn't do anything wrong." he mumbled.

"No, no, I _am_ sorry. You shouldn't even be here right now, but-"

"Good evening!"

Uwabami burst through the doors, the snake on her heads hissed as if to announce her arrival. Shouto sat quietly in his seat, but Yaoyorozu was already out of hers. She walked straight up to the pro hero.

"Uwabami, Frostfire had no malicious intention. He was _saving_ me and he didn't do anything wrong," she fumbled with her fingers. "I didn't watch the stability of the building before going back in and h-he...he was able to both put out the fire _and_ stabilize the building so we could safely evacuate the rest of the civilians! Please don't sue him or scold him orrrrrrr! He-"

"Yaoyorozu, I'm going to stop you there. In no way was I going to do anything to him. Please, sit."

Yaoyorozu settled into her seat next to him. Shouto pulled his cap off his head and nodded his head towards Uwabami as she scooted closer towards the two. She folded her hands together and rested her head on them. She smiled.

"To make things clear, Todoroki will not face any consequences for this. It actually has attracted much publicity for your debut, Yaoyorozu. However, I have to ask you something before we continue on with this conversation."

"What is it?" Yaoyorozu leaned her head forward.

"Yes?" Shouto held his breath.

"I'm usually not one to ask personal questions to the people who work for me or in the same field as me, but do you two happen to be a couple?"

"Huh?" Yaoyorozu tilted her head.

"No. We only met yesterday." Shouto felt their string tug taunt. He glanced down to find it glowing without a single fray. His eyes widened.

"Then, _this_ may be an issue."

Uwabami swiped her phone screen. It opened to a video with a comments section next to it. Shouto automatically recognized the scene with her. He hadn't realized before, but Yaoyorozu had been standing _still_. She had froze. Then, there he was, sprinting in front of her. His ice instantly appeared and encased the building. It happened in the blink of an eye.

"You two can read the comments for yourself. There's also some more things online, but that's the most tame."

Shouto grabbed the phone and leaned in towards Yaoyorozu. They both scrolled through the comments together.

"The headlines are already everywhere. People seem to like you two together very much, but," she sighed, "I must request that you stay away from Yaoyorozu for a while, Todoroki."

"I'm sorry to ask, but why?" he gulped. Their string kept tugging. She was too close.

"Something like this early in Yaoyorozu's career could have a strong negative affect on it. Romance is wonderful, but if you two are not romantically involved already, it's best to make sure that rumors do not spread. Can you agree with my request, as a growing professional hero, Frostfire?"

"Yes."

"Thank you," Uwabami nodded to both of them. "Yaoyorozu, you are dismissed. The evening shift is still open if you'd like to come in. Please have a wonderful day, you two. Make sure to close the door on your way out."

And just like that, she was gone. Shouto turned to Yaoyorozu, offering a hand to help her up. She took it.

"I know she requested you to stay away from me, but seeing as I have some free time," she smirked, "coffee?"

* * *

Shouto has learned two things about Yaoyorozu since he first met her in the burning building. The first is that she's very curious and the second is that she's _extremely_ indecisive.

He held the coffee cup in his right hand, trying to cool it down as she rambled on. It was nice to listen to her.

"I know we shouldn't be seen with each other, but I don't know when else we'll be able to fulfill a coffee outing. I don't have any free days scheduled yet and Uraraka has told me that you work practically everyday. Oh, on that note, how come you're not at work today?" she held a stir stick in her hand, writing in the air with it as she spoke.

"I was, but my boss sent me out to do something. They told me to have the rest of the day off afterwards."

"That's very kind of them," she nodded. "Coffee is perfect for today, isn't it? We both have time and even though it's a bit warm, coffee always has such a comforting feeling."

"Mhm." Shouto brought the coffee cup to his lips to take a sip, but found the coffee frozen. _Well, shit_. He switched the cup to his left hand.

The coffee shop was relatively quiet. There were hushed tones and the soft clicks of keyboards while warm light kept the atmosphere mellowed. Amidst it all, Shouto sighed at the string around his pinky. It wasn't as active as earlier and remained relaxed and flowing. His eyes trailed upward to her face that was full of delight from the coffee. She felt like a dream.

"Do you have any plans for the rest of the day?" Yaoyorozu tilted her head cutely.

"I'm going to go visit a friend's grave." Shouto replied absentmindedly.

"Oh, I'm sorry."

 _Shit, I shouldn't have said that._ "No, don't be sorry. He died a few years back and I wanted to visit his grave with everyone before his past fans would visit. We should try not to be sad though, Midoriya tells me that he wouldn't have wanted that." he took a sip of his coffee.

"Then, you're already accomplishing that by doing something happy." she smiled.

"Yeah, I am." Shouto nodded in agreement, but no smile came to his face.

She looked around and stood up, "Come with me really quick."

"Where are we going?" Shouto followed her out of the coffee shop.

"If you're going to visit someone's grave, it's best to bring something, isn't it?" Yaoyorozu winked.

"I forgot about that." he mumbled.

"Then, let's go get something. Flowers, trinkets, whatever catches your eye as something he would have liked."

"Um,"

"Oh, come on, Todoroki! Let's go make a happy memory for your friend!"

* * *

"What do you want to get for him, Todoroki?"

Shouto walked by her side down the aisles of the store. Yaoyorozu swung a shop basket in her hand as they went. His eyes widened at the variety of each shelf. There was just too much to process.

"Uh, you talked about flowers, so maybe we can just get roses?"

"There you go again, saying things like they're a question," she sighed with a smile. "If you want to get flowers, we should look for a flower shop nearby. But, while we're here…"

Yaoyorozu skipped off around the corner. Shouto felt the corner of his mouth tug into a small smile as he watched the red string follow her. He caught up with her and found Yaoyorozu's basket filled with snacks. Lots and lots of snacks.

"Do you want to get anything before we go?"

"Uhhh."

There, in the corner of the store, was a display refrigerator. Small pink cartons were stocked in it with a strawberry logo on their sides. Shouto felt a wave of nostalgia wash over him as he walked to it. He grabbed a carton and turned to Yaoyorozu.

"I want to get this."

"Strawberry milk? Hm." she grabbed one of the fridge for herself as well, "Good idea, Todoroki. Strawberry milk is cute, isn't it? Do you like it?"

"Yeah. It reminds me of my mother." he smiled at the carton.

"That's incredibly sweet of you."

He looked up at her, finding her smiling right back at him. Shouto's smile melted and he averted his eyes away from her. "Thank you." he mumbled.

 _Excuse me, but why are you so cute?_

* * *

A/N:

I've had about no time to write and whenever I do, I can't feel the need to write. I've been going through song after song until I found one that can become my muse to this story. It's the OST for the Fireworks movie if you want to listen to it. (The movie is actual crap though, don't watch it.)

This story has been such a comfort for me. Unlike Win Her Favor, which feels really intense in writing because I have to input foreshadowing all the time for the darker future events, Strawberry Milk Tea feels really light and airy. It's meant to be a much shorter fic that will explore Shouto's relationships with love when it comes to family love, parental love (for Aki), romantic love (for Momo), platonic love, and everything else to eventually answer the question, "What is a soulmate?"

Anyways, thank you so much for reading! If you have any questions or comments, feel free to write them down in the comments below. Kudos are always welcome. Btw, I can't guarantee when the next chapter will be out and that might be really annoying to a lot of readers, but I want to make sure whatever I publish is just the way I want it. Again, thank you and please have a lovely day~


	7. Get some rest

Shouto wrinkled his nose at the smell of the flower shop. He caught whiffs of lavender and a spicy smell that made it hard to breath. Yaoyorozu ruffled the flower petals with another basket in her arms. A bag of snacks hung on her right arm.

"What flower do you want to get?" she looked up at him.

"Um, those?" he pointed to the red roses on display.

"Red?"

"Is red a bad color to get?"

"No. It's just that red roses symbolize romance. It's something a lover would get, not a friend." she pursed her lips, looking over the display.

"Oh, I-I..uh. W-" Shouto closed his mouth and sunk his shoulders back at the grin developing on Yaoyorozu's face.

"It's alright, a lot of people don't know flower meanings. Maybe we should play it safe and just get lilies." she pointed over at a lily display.

"Why lilies?" he looked over her shoulder, but began immediately rethinking his action.

Maybe it was the tugging strings or just the scent of her lavender perfume, however he _knew_ that they were both just too damn close to each other. Shouto stepped away from her towards the lily display case, leaving her at the roses. She sped ahead of him.

"Todoroki," Yaoyorozu addressed, "lilies are most commonly used at funerals, but since flowers can often be misinterpreted, it's best to go with them when visiting a grave. It's a clear association with death."

"Which bouquet do you think we should get?" he looked down at the flowers with her, making sure to stay a bit further away.

"Well," she scooted closer to him to look at the flowers, "this one looks quite nice, doesn't it?"

Yaoyorozu picked up a bouquet. She felt at the petals and a small smile emerged onto her lips. Shouto stared at the way her fingers touched the delicate petals. It was such a soft touch. It didn't bruise or damage them in any way.

"You touch the petals too. See if it feels right."

"Uh,"

"It's alright, you won't damage them."

She guided his right hand towards them. Maybe it was just Shouto's internal screaming that distracted him, but he could have sworn that the brief touch made their string glow. He gulped as she kept his hand on the flower petal.

"They're quite soft, aren't they?"

"Yeah."

"Are you guys going to buy that?"

A worker peaked their head over a counter over to them. She gave a wave at the two and a sheepish smile.

"Oh yes, we are! This is the one you want, right Todoroki? If you don't, we can keep looking."

"No, this one is good."

His light brushes against the petals left frost on them. He quickly flicked the frost away before Yaoyorozu could see.

"Alright. Let's pay and go!"

* * *

 _Ring ring ring._ Shouto grabbed his phone out of his pocket. Yaoyorozu stood next to him, cradling the bouquet of lilies in her arms. They stood outside the flower shop with the sun blazing down on them. It was hot.

"Hello?"

" _PLEASE HELP!_ HE'S INGITING INTO FLAMES AND W-WE CAN'T CONTROL HIM! HE-" there was the sound of items crashing into each other.

"Mrs. Machi, please calm down. What caused him to ignite into flames?"

"The building is going to burn down!" a man's voice in the background, presumably Machi's husband, yelled.

" _ **YOU LIED!**_ "

"Frostfire, please help, w-we ju-" the line went dead.

Shouto met Yaoyorozu's eyes. She blinked up and pointed to her ear, asking what was going on. He listened to the dead line. The slight buzz made him freeze. He felt his whole world come crashing down.

The illusion of peace and tranquility was stripped away to bring him back. Yaoyorozu disappeared before him and was replaced with an empty street. Her kind eyes, knowing smile, and curious blinks. Reality kept him in a single day, a single hour, and a single minute where he made the wrong decision.

* * *

The work day was over. Cherry blossom petals fell from the trees as the sun set and Shouto walked away from the hero agency building. He placed both his hands into his jacket pockets. His left shoulder hadn't healed properly after a scuffle earlier that day. It'd be ice packs and pain meds for him for the next few days.

"Hey Todoroki!"

He turned around to him and had to hold back the urge to sigh. Kirishima was a rather bright soul and much like Midoriya, Shouto couldn't handle the positivity he emitted well. The red haired hero ran up to him with a grin on his face.

"Hey Todoroki, I haven't hanged with ya in a while! You wanna get some soba later? I know it's your favorite." he nudged at Shouto's shoulder.

"I can't. I have to do things tonight."

"Japan's hottest—and coldest—bachelor doing 'things' on a Friday night? The media would eat that right up, Todoroki." he smiled with the same sharp, shark teeth and nudged Shouto's shoulder again.

"I'm not sure what you're referring to, Kirishima."

"You really haven't changed in 2 years, huh? Still the old, rather oblivious, Todoroki that I know and love."

"You can't possibly love me, you love Bakugou. I know since-"

"Hey hey, woah! That was high school, you don't need to bring up that walk in. We made sure to lock the door after that incident. I swear."

"Okay." Todoroki nodded once then went back to walking.

"Soooo, is that a yes on the soba?"

"I…"

"If you really don't want to, it's alright, but," Kirishima smiled grew wider, "I have an all you can eat coupon for two. If that interests you at all."

"All you can eat?"

"Yes. Totally and completely free of charge, I will pay for everything."

Shouto had to stop himself from snorting, "I can pay for it too. Neither of us are making much anyway with these hero salaries."

"Alright, alright. See you at 6 at the Soaking Soba place?"

"Yeah. See you."

"Nice! Take care until then!"

He turned back and ran off. Shouto could see a blob of blonde and black in the distance. He actually sighed this time with the smallest of smiles tugging at the corners of his lips. The red string glided in the wind, connecting Kirishima and Bakugou. Shouto kept walking, the smile growing on his face. _Someday, Shouto. Just keep looking._

* * *

Yaoyorozu grabbed onto his wrist.

"Todoroki, are you okay?"

"I-I," he _stuttered_.

"Should I call the police? Did something bad happen?" her eyes were scanning his face, looking for some sign as to what was going on.

"I…"

There it was again. The red string floated around her head, delicately weaving in and out. He looked down at her hand. Their string glowed and relaxed to swing freely in the air. That slight tug pulled him out of it.

"Call the police."

* * *

Shouto ran into the police station with Yaoyorozu close by. An officer looked up at the two curiously from the front desk. They placed a hot mug of coffee down. Yaoyorozu went in front of him, straight to the desk.

"Hello, we called earlier about a fire and a little boy. Can we get details on the case?" her voice was shaky.

"And who are you?" the officer rose an eyebrow at them.

"My name is Yaoyorozu Momo, I'm with a hero agency nearby." she showed the officer her hero license.

"And who's the dude with you, Ms. Creati?" the officer handed the license back to her.

"This is-"

"Todoroki Shouto with a different hero agency," he handed his license to them. "I have personal connections with the boy. Where are his aunt and uncle?"

"I'm sorry, but I'm not authorized to give information about cases unless someone has a familial connection or was a hero working on the case already. I'm going to have to ask you to leave." they slide the license back.

"Please let me see him. He's been through a lot this week and…" Shouto gritted his teeth.

"Todoroki?"

Shouto looked to one of the hallways. Iida stood there, his hero costume full of soot and hair sprinkled with ash. The blue haired hero walked towards the two.

"What are you doing here? It's getting close to the time we're supposed to meet with the others to visit Kirishima. And Midoriya told me you were already off work as well."

"Iida, did you just come back from a fire?" Shouto's face softened to see an old friend.

"Yes. It's quite an interesting case, I'll have to tell you about it later."

"Was there a little boy?" Shouto's voice strained.

"Yes? How'd you know? He's quite hard for the police to control. They needed to get a containment truck to pick him up. Pretty young, probably doesn't know how to control his quirk yet."

"Iida, I need to see him."

"Todoroki, I don't have the authorization to allow you to do that. You are a very dear friend to me, but,"

"That's what I was saying!" the officer huffed and went back to drinking their coffee.

"Please," Yaoyorozu spoke up," please let Todoroki see the boy."

"And who may you be?" Iida gave a strange look at her.

"I'm," Yaoyorozu looked straight into his eyes, "being a better friend than you are right now."

"Excuse me, but what did you say? You ha-"

The whole building shook. Shouto grabbed onto the counter to stabilize himself and looked to the hallway. Yaoyorozu grabbed onto him to stabilize herself. He felt a tug at their strings. _Shit, she's too close._ Another police officer was running out with soot on his face. He slammed his arm onto the front desk. Shouto felt another tug on his string.

"Get a someone with a water quirk! We need to get this kid contained!"

"He has an ice quirk!" Yaoyorozu lifted up Shouto's arm.

"THEN GET IN THERE!"

"Sir, this man does not have the authorization to go into th-" Iida began.

"DO I LOOK LIKE I GIVE A SHIT?! GET THE ICE USER IN THERE AND GET THE KID DOWN!"

Shouto ran down the hallway, taking a sharp right into the room the officer had just come out of. Yaoyorozu was close behind him. He could hear her footsteps. The interrogation room was a mess. Two officers were slowly getting up from behind a flipped table and another was trying to grasp onto a microphone. There was a layer of glass separating them and him.

Aki looked so small in the inferno around him. Shouto could see him mumbling under his breath. Shouto has seen many cascades of fire before from himself and others, but he had never seen one so easily done by a child. The flames swirled around Aki, his body barely able to be seen.

Yaoyorozu stepped in front of Shouto. She placed a hand on the glass, causing the string on her hand to tug. She slowly closed her hand into a fist. Shouto wanted to stop her. He wanted to grab onto her and keep her from making things worse. He knew she had the best intentions. She always did. Yaoyorozu knocked.

"Hey?"

"He…" Shouto took a step towards her. _He can't hear you_.

The little boy looked up. Shouto could see him; his knees close to his chest. His blue eyes glanced over at the two and widened. There was a surge of heat in the room. Flames began to creep out of the cracks of the door separating the area where Aki was and where the others were. Yaoyorozu knocked again.

Shouto could see tears coming out of his eyes. The flames began to die down. Yaoyorozu went away from the glass. She reached for the doorknob. She touched it before Shouto could stop her. When she pulled her hand away, her skin was reddening. Shouto grabbed the doorknob for her with his right hand and opened it as Aki's flames died down. All that was left was the little boy.

Inside the room, it was like a furnace. Shouto grabbed onto Yaoyorozu's hand to keep it from injuring further and pulled her inside the room too. He killed his own blush, trying to keep a straight face while holding her hand yet _again_. Aki sat in a small chair with a metal table in front of him. The table was melting slightly and glowing red.

"Hi." Yaoyorozu spoke before Shouto could.

"Hi nice lady." Aki peered at the two from his chair.

She chuckled, "We don't know each other's names yet, huh?"

"No." his voice went quiet.

Yaoyorozu walked in front of Shouto, but she kept their hands clasped together. "Well, my name is Yaoyorozu. What's your name?"

"My name is Aki."

"That's a very nice name, Aki." she smiled at him.

"Thank you…" he whispered and looked away from her, blush on his cheeks.

"You're way better at this calming down thing than me." the words came out of Shouto's mouth before he could stop them. It was his turn to blush and look away.

"You get better at it after the hundredth time for so." she smiled up at him.

* * *

"My wife is in the hospital hanging onto a string of life because of Aki. I know she feels obligation due to him being the son of her only sister, but we can't take care of him."

"I'm not sure what you're asking of me." Todoroki fidgeted in his seat.

He sat in a different room, talking with Michi's husband, Haru. He was a tall man with broad shoulders, but the bags under his eyes told it all. Shouto sat at a table with him. Yaoyorozu and Aki were outside the room talking with police officials.

"We can't support Aki, hell we can barely stand on our own two feet now. The apartment burning down ruined a lot of our plans. But Aki, we can't take care of him. We don't want to give him up to the system and Aki has no near by family and I have to request, " he took in a deep inhale.

"I'm not following…" Shouto fidgeted some more.

"Could you take care of Aki? Just for a bit, not forever. Just until Michi and I can get back on our feet."

"I-I don't know if I can do that."

"He only needs a place to stay for a while. I-I'll pay you." he was getting desperate.

Shouto watched the man's string. It was thinning until only a single strand remained. He could only watch as it desperately tried to stay together. It dulled in color and pulled taut. _His wife is dying…_ Shouto put a hand over Haru's own. The man's string was close to breaking, but it stayed like that and didn't go any further. _He needs to be with his wife._

"No, it's okay. I can watch over him. Could I get your number and any information for him?" Shouto tried to focus, but the man's waning string made him nervous.

"Yes, I have his medical information and school as well. I can give you my number."

"I just need your number. We can discuss other things later, but I think you should be with your wife right now." he nodded slowly.

"Here's my business card," Haru handed him it. "Thank you, Todoroki."

"You're welcome," his voice strained, "Please go to your wife."

"Thank you, again. Call me when you can and get some rest. You've done a lot for our family."

"Of course, you as well."

* * *

A/N: Thank you for reading this chapter of Strawberry Milk Tea! If you have any comments or questions, please write them. I'll be putting more focus on this fanfic, since I'll soon be notifying all my readers of what I'll be doing with my other fanfic, Win Her Favor, soon enough. Please enjoy your day or night and take care in this new year! Happy 2019!


	8. I don't feel like doing anything

Shouto walked out of the room. Iida had already left, surely upset with Shouto's actions, but he didn't worry too much about his piss poor attitude. The first thing he saw was Yaoyorozu. She stood across from the door, holding onto Aki's hand. Aki waved away to his uncle, who was waving back as he ran out the police station. The little boy looked up at Shouto with wide eyes.

"Are uncle and auntie going to leave like mom and dad?"

"Um, no. Not exactly. Uncle and auntie said that you can stay with me for a bit though. Isn't that exciting?" Shouto squatted down to be face to face with the kid. He tried his best to smile, but it ended up looking a bit lopsided.

"His uncle is allowing you to take care of him?" Yaoyorozu didn't look like she was ready to let go of Aki's hand.

"Yeah?" he rubbed the back of his neck.

"Isn't it quite strange for a stranger who only knows you as a public figure to leave a child, who you have only met yesterday, with you and entrust you to care for that child?" she rose an eyebrow at him.

"I-I guess."

"Well, where are you expecting to take a small child to?" Yaoyorozu was being sensible.

"I could…" he got out his phone. _I can't believe I'm doing this._

"Who are you calling?" she wasn't have it.

"Enji, my father."

* * *

 _Ding dong._ Shouto stood on the doorsteps of his former home for the second time that day. Yaoyorozu stood behind him, holding onto Aki's hand still. The little boy yawned. It had been a long day for him even though it wasn't nightfall yet. It was the late afternoon. Shouto sighed as the door opened. A different kid stood there. He was scrawny with bright green hair and a scowl on his face. Although, his scowl soon melted away when he saw Shouto.

"Yo teach! It's Frostfire!" he excitedly yelled.

"I'm getting there! Let him in, please!"

"Oh my god, you're like my idol!" he gaped up at Shouto.

"Uh, thank you."

Yaoyorozu giggled behind him. He looked back to meet her eyes. She winked, causing him to blush. Aki giggled too, recognizing Shouto's awkwardness.

"Um, I have to talk to Enji. You two come inside." he sped walk past the student straight to the courtyard.

Enji was in the hallway, wheeling slowly along to the doorway. He didn't seem annoyed seeing Shouto again. Heck, he looked pleased to see his son. The man stopped in front of Shouto.

"Back so soon?" he smirked.

"Yeah, about that kid, Enji." Shouto rubbed the back of his neck.

"Is there someone else at the door? I hear my student talking." he inched his neck out to look behind Shouto.

"Uh, yes. It's about the kid I told you about."

"Well, let me see." Enji wheeled himself to the doorway.

Enji's student stood there, talking essatically with Aki. The two's mouths were running wild and their eyes lit up with each added word. Yaoyorozu had closed the door behind here and was watching the kids with a few fingers loosely covering her smile. The string connecting her and Shouto glowed. Maybe it was just naturally hot in the old Todoroki house, but Shouto's blush was spreading all across his face.

"Daiki, you're free to pack up and go. Your lesson has ended. But, other than that, " the older man was looking back and forth between Yaoyorozu and Aki, "who are you, ms?"

"Hi. I'm Yaoyorozu Momo. Y-You're former number one hero, Endeavor, right?" she walked up to him.

"Yes, I am. I haven't heard that in quite a while." he smiled.

"It's an honor to meet you sir. I'm new to the hero profession, but hope to get better at it soon enough." she shook his hand.

"Yes," Enji looked like he was analyzing her face, "how do you know my son?"

Shouto could have died right there. His soulmate talking to his former shitbag of a father like it was nothing and Enji saying "my son" killed every nerve in his body. He shook his head to himself.

"He saved me from a fire. He's a wonderful hero and I'm glad to know him" she returned his smile.

"Yes, interesting. Um, Shouto. Who's child is that?" Enji pointed to Aki, who was waving goodbye to Daiki as the front door closed.

"I don't know who his mother was, but his name is Aki."

"A good name," he paused.

"Enji?"

"My apologies for being so blunt. It's a pleasure to meet you, Mrs. Yaoyorozu," he nodded to her. "Let me get some tea."

"Enji." Shouto sighed. _What's with the "Mrs."?_

"My therapist always says that tea is good for meeting people. Please come sit down! It seems like these past few hours have been very eventful for you all."

* * *

Shouto sat on the ground around the same wooden table he used to sit around years ago. There were still dents there and the one stubborn oil stain that never quite came out. He used to eat soba with sis there.

"This tea is wonderful!" Yaoyorozu lit up.

Aki sipped happily on a juice box as Yaoyorozu began going on about tea. Enji was smiling, a rare sight for Shouto to see.

"I'm glad you enjoy it."

Shouto looked down at his own teacup. The green liquid didn't interest him. He sighed and sat with one crossed and the other flat under the table.

"Shouto, why are you sitting like that? I thought your mother taught you better than to sit disrespectfully in front of company." Enji scolded.

"W-What?"

Yaoyorozu giggled again and Shouto felt a tug on their string. He blushed harshly at it and went back to looking at his tea. There was a tap on his hand. Shouto glanced at Yaoyorozu, who gave an encouraging smile to him.

"So, is anyone going to tell me anything?" Enji sipped his tea.

"What?" Shouto repeated.

"Well," Enji looked from Shouto to Aki then to Yaoyorozu, "uh, Shouto, could I speak with you? Privately, please." he was scooting to get his wheelchair.

"Let me help you." Shouto got his wheelchair for him.

* * *

Shouto walked down the hallway with his father, leaving Yaoyorozu and Aki to themselves. Enji opened a door and wheeled inside. Shouto closed the door behind him. The room was familiar. There were holes in the walls from where old memorabilia had been hung. The small picture frame on the dresser reminded him. This is my room.

"My son," Enji began.

"Don't say that." Shouto sighed once again.

"Shouto, I know you've held resentment against me for many years. However, I thought you would have told me if you had started a fami-"

Shouto choked on his own spit, "Enji, t-that's not it. Yaoyorozu and I aren't married or anything and Aki isn't our child. I-Is that why you said 'Mrs.' earlier?"

"Yes, it is. My apologies for assuming. You just don't ever talk to me, so I just tried to assume the best instead of you feeling awkward. My therapist said I need to get better at communication, so I'm trying. However," Enji put a finger up, "you come back to my house with a child. One who has blue eyes like you and black hair that is very much like the black hair of that Yaoyorozu lady back there that you brought. What else am I to think?"

"That we're not married?!" Shouto's voice rose. He felt absolutely hysterical. His face was a complete red mess.

Enji paused and looked at his face. Shouto covered it with his arms and looked away. He could smell the slightest bit of smoke and could feel frost between his fingers. _I have to calm down._

"Did I upset you by talking about that woman?"

"Yes. Could we stop talking about this?"

"I'm sorry, Shouto."

"Stop it," he shook away Enji's apology. "I need to talk to you about Aki."

* * *

Momo sipped her tea. She smiled down at Aki in an attempt to cheer him up. He had his head on the table with his juice box pushed away towards her. He was refusing to speak, but she knew he would break eventually.

She picked up her teacup again and bit her lip to keep herself from wincing. It wasn't so smart to touch the doorknob earlier. Her skin was irritated and kept pulsing.

"Are you okay, Yaoyorozu?"

"I'm fine. My hand just hurts a little bit," she grabbed his juice box with her other hand. "Do you want some more juice?"

"No, I don't like grape that much." he pouted.

"We can ask Frostfire if there's any other juice and get some other juice later, okay?"

"Yes!" Aki lit up.

"I'm glad you're excited." Momo went to grab her teacup again, wincing this time from the pain.

Aki reached out to her hand. He frowned and crossed his arms while looking up towards the ceiling. _Is he acting out his thinking?_ Momo looked over at him. He clapped his hands together.

"You should ask Frostfire to help you with your hand!" he grinned.

"Oh, why should I do that?" Momo tilted her head at him.

"His half hot and half cold quirk can cool your hand so you don't have to use regular ice. My mom uses Icyhot cream whenever I get hurt, but I don't know if there's any here."

"You like pro heroes, don't you?" she smiled at his enthusiasm.

"I love them! They're so cool and strong and someday I want to be one! My friends at the play center say they all like Deku, but I love Frostfire because he's awesome! He doesn't even have to lift a finger when he fights villains!" Aki made a bunch of hand motions, mimicking Todoroki's moves he probably saw on TV.

"You admire him a lot, huh?" Momo looked down at him lovingly. _This kid._

"Mhm! I'm excited to hang out with him. He might get busy with hero work though. My dad always says to not bother heros when they're working because they need to focus."

"That's very true. Your father is a smart man." Momo's look melted away. She held her tongue between her teeth. I need to stop lying to him.

"Yeah, but he isn't here anymore." Aki's bright smile went away.

Momo paused. She reached a hand out to the boy. _The lie._ Aki put his knees close to his chest and kept his head down. _Why would someone tell you already?_ She placed her hand on his shoulder.

"Hey, Aki."

He sat there, keeping his head down and going quiet again. Momo scooted a little closer to him. _This little boy._ She put her arms around him in a hug. _I'm sorry, Aki._ Momo was careful to not rest her weight on him, but to simply let him know that she was there. You've been misguided. She gently lifted a hand to stroke his hair. _Adults are supposed to help you and be there for you, but they can't._ There were no words to offer.

* * *

"Yaoyorozu, could I speak with you for a moment?"

"Of course."

Shouto watched her tap on Aki's shoulder. The little boy had been leaning on her, doozing off. His eyes fluttered open, but instead of moving away, he moved closer to her. Yaoyorozu sighed and picked him up from the ground. She walked to the hallway.

 _Screech, screech._ Shouto moved out of the way as Enji wheeled into the room. The older man went past the now empty table straight into the kitchen. He was probably going to make more tea.

"What do you need to talk about?" Yaoyorozu whispered.

"Uh, follow me."

* * *

"I forgot the flowers in the taxi we took and I still have the strawberry milk in my pocket," Shouto took it out and placed it onto the dresser, "and Aki's going to be taking quirk lessons with Enji and I already called Midoriya about picking us up, but I'm going to go visit Kirishima's grave with everyone and I-I-what's so funny?"

Shouto rubbed the back of his neck. Rambling is Midoriya's thing and sometimes he caught Uraraka doing it whenever she spent too much time around Midoriya, but Shouto. He doesn't ramble, but here he was. Yaoyorozu was trying to stifle a laugh at his franticness.

Aki was lying down on a mat, fast asleep. His black hair was sprawled across a pillow. Yaoyorozu had been insisting on brushing it, but Shouto couldn't find anything wrong with Aki's hair. The little boy looked perfectly peaceful in his sleep.

"Uraraka found it strange when I told her you were amiable, but it's moments like these that I need to tell her about to convince her otherwise." she giggled.

"Is amiable bad?"

"No, but you don't need to worry so much," she tapped the tip of his nose, "I can take care of Aki. You don't seem too keen about keeping him with your father."

"Please don't call him that." Shouto groaned.

"Ah, sorry," she shook her head. "But I wanted to ask you before you finished,"

"Huh?"

"Could I take Aki to my parents' house? You're going to a graveyard later and I don't think it'd be best if he went with you."

"I don't want to force him on you."

"No, no! I care about Aki too, Todoroki. However, I doubt you can care for him with all your hero work. My parents have quite a large home and they're always willing to help me with whatever they can. I'm sure we could find a professional caretaker for Aki whenever neither of us are available. What do you think?"

Shouto stared at her with his mouth slightly open. _"Us"?_ Everything around him was moving too fast. His own red string seemed stressed out with it frantically tightening and loosening as he looked at her. Yaoyorozu Momo was a strange woman with a bright smile and she smelled like lavender. She was so perfectly organized and friendly with everyone around Shouto. She-

"Todoroki? Are you there?"

"Sorry, you said 'us' and," he coughed and looked away.

"Oh, um," she blushed, "I-I assumed we would both look after Aki since we have a personal connection with him from the fire incident and I just want to help because we're both busy as professional heroes and...and….and," Shouto heard her laugh.

"Is something funny again?" he peeked at her face.

"I mean, I wasn't suggesting anything between us because obviously we're both responsible adults and doing our best with lessons and responsibilities of life and a child is a lot. Aki is a lot, but w-we, yes us, we can do a lot to help him through a tough stage of his life," she nodded her head, "I-I mean if you'll let me." she bit her lip.

"If I'll let you?"

"Yes." she nodded her head again.

"Yes." Shouto blurted out.

"Yes? Are you repeating what I'm saying or answering me?" Yaoyorozu tilted her head.

"Yes." he slowly nodded.

"Yes?"

"Yes," Shouto could feel himself blushing. _I said yes, what more does she want?_

"Yes as in yes to my request or yes as in yes to repeat after me?" she looked up at him, confused.

"Yes?"

"I-I'm just going to assume it's a yes to my request, Todoroki." she gave a hopeless smile.

"Yes." he agreed.

She laughed. That light airy sound flooded the room. The red string held taut and glowed as she turned her head to look at Aki sleeping. Shouto could feel his heart beating in his chest. He had always wondered what love felt like. Was it what people described as intoxicating? Shouto didn't like getting drunk so no. Was it what people described as floating above the clouds? Shouto didn't think people could float above clouds because it's not humanly possible. But this. This single feeling as it is. This is love.

* * *

"Bye Frostfire! See you later!" his little hand waved goodbye.

Shouto smiled as he waved back. Aki was waving his hand back and forth, tugging on Yaoyorozu's hand as she insisted they get into the vehicle to go. She had called her parents' driver to pick them up. Shouto grimaced at it, but that was Yaoyorozu. Aki also seemed to like it a lot.

"So, are you getting in my car or are you going to stand there waving at the sun?" Midoriya nudged his side.

"The sun is in the west right now, Midoriya. We're facing the east. It's the wrong direction." Shouto looked at him confusingly.

"Well," he shook his head and sighed, "nothing."

"Do you not know your directions, Midoriya? I thought Iida went over this during that one tutoring session in high school."

"You still remember that?"

"Who could forget seeing a maniacal Iida at 11 PM?"

He snorted, "Yeah. I guess."

Midoriya got into his car, leaving Shouto to watch as Yaoyorozu and Aki drove away. He gave one last wave goodbye then got in. But what he saw before him baffled his very being. Midoriya was covering his face.

"Are you okay?"

He sniffed, "Yeah, I just have something in my eye."

"Okay. Take your time."

"Thanks Todoroki," Midoriya chuckled, "You have a way with words."

"Did I say something weird?"

"No, just keep being yourself."

"Okay?"

"You wanted to go to a flower shop, right?"

"Yeah.

"Then let's get going," he sniffed one last time, wiped what Shouto assumed to be a tear from his eyes, and drove off.

* * *

"You got lilies?"

"Yeah, Yaoyorozu talked about them with me earlier. We had bought a banquet, but I forgot it in a taxi."

"Todoroki."

"Hm?" He buckled his seatbelt.

"Did you spend the whole day with Yaoyorozu?"

"No…" he looked away from Midoriya.

"Todoroki!"

"What?"

"Ugh, it's fine. Let's get going. Everyone's going to wonder where we are. We should probably grab some other stuff before we go."

"I don't feel like doing anything right now." Todoroki sighed as the car sped up.

* * *

A/N: I chose to use Mrs. Yaoyorozu instead of saying Mrs. Todoroki or something so it'd be more obvious that Enji was addressing Momo. Look forward to more frequent updates of this fic. :D

 **Also, for a very special reader:** Yo sé un poco de español, pero yo comprendo. Yo aprendo español en la escuela. Gracias por tus parablas. Me hace muy feliz porque tú lees mi cuento.


	9. Alone, again

"Took you guys long enough."

Shouto got out of the car with the bouquet in his arms. There everyone was. Iida had a small frown on his face and a disapproving look he threw at Shouto. Ashido was at the edge of the group, unlike she usually was, furiously texting away on her phone. Kaminari made a point to amiable chat up Shoji and Tokoyami while Jirou quietly listened to music on her phone. Hagakure, Ojirou, and Aoyama seemed to be discussing fabric and Tsuyu, Koda, Sato, and Sero were making work calls. Work never really stops when you're a hero.

Bakugou stood on the edge near the trail. Kirishima's grave was in an extremely secluded area, mostly due to Bakugou's wishes for the public to not have access to it. A long, winding trail, went through a small wooded area, then past a lake, up a few hills, and to a small meadow. Shouto didn't see Bakugou as a soft person, but the way he talked about Kirishima and the trail always melted Shouto's heart. It was a pure love with a sniffle here and there.

Shouto couldn't stop himself. His feet found themselves moving towards the man, who held a bouquet of red roses. Red roses meant romantic love; Shouto remembered what Yaoyorozu said. He had his back to the rest of the group, his eyes set on the trek before them. His broken red string flowed in the wind. However, it seemed to have a mind of its own as it ever so slightly glowed. Shouto grabbed onto his shoulder.

"Bakugou."

"Get off, half and half." he grumbled.

Bakugou shot a glare at Shouto. He shook off his hand and gritted his teeth. Shouto took a step back and melted back into the rest of his former classmates. The string returned to its original state, dangling dead by Bakugou's side.

"Where's Uraraka?" Midoriya looked around.

"She said she's not feeling well! She told me she's at home, but I'm worried! URARAKA WHY DID YOU GO TO WORK TODAY?! YOU AREN'T OKAY!" Ashido yelled at her phone.

Shouto has dealt with all kinds of strange phenomena from the red string, but he's never seen something like this. Midoriya was frozen. His string floated through the air and knotted and twisted over itself. It crossed and twisted itself. Then, it relaxed. The string dropped down and stayed down onto the ground with a faint glow. He turned around and went straight into his car. Shouto turned his head and spotted Bakugou's jaw drop.

"Where's Midoriya going?" Kaminari pointed to the car.

It pulled out of the parking spot and drove off. Ashido has her phone close to her ear. She had gotten hold of Uraraka. Bakugou seemed to shake off his shock, but… _What's he shocked about?_ Shouto walked over to Iida.

"Todoroki." The taller man looked down at him.

"Iida." He looked up.

"Kirishima wouldn't want us to argue." he sighed.

"Oh."

"I apologize for my behavior at the police station. I still think what you did was wrong and out of protocol, but I respect you and your decision." Iida out his hand onto his shoulder.

"Thank you?"

"Alright," he took in a deep breath, "everyone! We need to start moving if we want to make it up the trail before nightfall. Ashido, is Uraraka okay?"

She gave a small thumbs up. Iida had the furrow in his brow relax. He took his hand off Shouto's shoulder.

"Todoroki, will Midoriya be returning?" Iida asked.

"No?" Shouto's tone got lost.

"Then Bakugou, lead the way."

"Yeah, yeah. Just stay behind me."

* * *

Shouto looked at the sunflowers Bakugou held. They looked freshly picked with what seemed to be a brown paper bag wrapped around their trimmed stems. _But wouldn't he get red roses for Kirishima? Yaoyorozu said red roses were for romantic love_.

Everyone was quiet as they moved through the trail. Kaminari and Jirou walked hand in hand while Sero and Ashido went around holding the hands of others. One year was a long time.

Tsuyu walked up and quietly offered to hold Shouto's hand. He took it as she grabbed onto Ashido's with her other hand. A connected group of people. Bakugou led the front, holding onto Kaminari's hand. Shouto was the last person, holding the bouquet of lilies to end their line.

They emerged into a small meadow. Wild flowers dotted the landscape. At the edge of it, near a few trees, laid a shared tombstone. One side had words engraved into it and the other remained blank.

"Are you okay, Bakugou?" Kaminari asked.

"Yeah, why wouldn't I be?"

Bakugou had stopped moving. They all stopped moving, taking a moment to take in the scene. Shouto caught sight of another string. This one, broken was well, lightly waved in the breeze. Kirishima's string, connected to his grave and wistfully bringing hope to the world as he once did. Shouto watch the string extend into the air, pulled taut, attempting to reach out.

Kaminari gave a small pat to Bakugou's back. The blond's vein was popping out of his neck. He was trying so hard, too hard, to not turn back. Maybe this was too much. Maybe a year wasn't enough time to heal. Maybe they should have waited. Bakugou let go of Kaminari's hand and stepped towards the grave by himself.

Shouto watched as Bakugou reached out and touched the grave's stone. That little taut string slid next to Bakugou's hand. His own broken string intertwined with Kirishima's string on the grave. A faint glow burst from their strings, reunited once again.

Shouto watched a tear fall from Tsuyu's face, who usually never cried over things like this. Ashido had to let go of Jirou's hand and cover her face so no one could see her tears. Jirou and Kaminari held onto each other as everyone else let go of each other's hands. Shouto let go of Tsuyu's hand and looked down at his own string.

 _The glow_. Bakugou and Kirishima's strings grasped so tightly on each other. Their ends met, but could not reconnect. There was futile attempt after futile attempt. Bakugou dropped onto his knees in front of the grave. His fists rested on the engravings and head lied over the engraving of Kirishima's name.

 _Kirishima Eijirou_

 _XXXX - XXXX_

 _A friend, fiance, brother, and beloved hero._

 _Red Riot will live on in_

 _his legacy of kindness_

 _and in the memories_

 _of friends and family._

 _A man with a soft heart._

The others started to walk forward in pairs. First went Kaminari and Jirou, their arms intertwined and strings shooting off into opposite directions. Ashido was guided by Sero, who gently helped her as the tears couldn't stop coming out of her eyes. Then went more and more people. Tsuyu finally grabbed onto Shouto's arm. He awkwardly gave her a pat on the back and followed as she started walking towards the grave.

Shouto placed the bouquet of lilies onto the grave next to Bakugou's sunflowers. He still hadn't moved. His and Kirishima's strings stayed intertwined, never reconnecting. A faint glow kept them together. Shouto could see the tears falling down Bakugou's face, but the man still only faced the gravestone. There were quiet murmurs.

"I miss you, Kirishima." Ashido managed to get out between sobs.

"You always listened." Iida was fiddling with his thumbs.

"You always understood." Tsuyu sniffled.

"You always laughed." tears were beginning to come from Kaminari as well.

More murmurs came from everyone, until there was a final whisper from Bakugou. The man they all had grown up to know. A man who tried to show no fear and feel no pain, but felt it all within his veins. Shouto watched Kirishima and Bakugou's strings come even closer together. Their glow was beginning to fade.

" _I love you_."

Within seconds, the glow was gone. Their strings untwined and Kirishima's slunk back to the ground. Bakugou held onto his right hand, where his string was, and pressed it to his lips. A small gold ring was on Bakugou's hand. A ring that should have meant a new beginning, but had instead meant the end.

Shouto could feel a twinge of pain in his heart, but no tears came to his eyes. _They should have gotten married._ He knelt next to Bakugou near the grave and quietly put his hands together. His eyes closed as he said a small prayer. A hand was placed onto his shoulder, hesitant and strange. Shouto opened his eyes and found Bakugou looking at him. The blond couldn't stop crying, but he sniffled and nudged Shouto's shoulder. Shouto smiled and nudged him back.

* * *

The walk back was quiet. Flashlights were grabbed and lit as they went down the familiar path. No one held hands anymore. Sero was already vigorously texting away on his phone, no doubt going over information for his hero work. Kaminari and Jirou walked by each other, discussing their schedules with each other. Ashido was being carried on Sero's back. She held onto him tightly.

Shouto looked at the people around him. Their strings criss crossed and zig zagged through the world. Kaminari and Jirou's went on their own separate paths, but their love for each other couldn't be denied. Ashido and Sero never seemed closer with their strings intertwined tightly together. He sighed and put his arms around himself.

* * *

Getting back to the parking lot was its own sort of conundrum. Ashido had driven to the hiking area, but was unfit to drive. Sero had come with her and was to drive to her home, but Kaminari and Tokoyami needed a ride because they took taxis. Jirou was set to drive with Asui, but she didn't seem fit to drive either.

Shouto sighed and waited in the corner of the group, just like old times. He looked down at his own string. It was playfully floating through the air, looping around itself again and again. He couldn't stop the smile that came to his face.

"I don't need to be driven home." Bakugou groaned.

"We know you don't need to be driven home, but-" Sero began.

"Stop it. I know how to take care of myself. I have work in the morning and I'll be fine."

"Kero, just a safety precauti-" Asui was trying to point out.

"No." Bakugou shook his head.

Shouto perked his head up, "I can drive with Bakugou."

Everyone stopped. Bakugou slowly turned to Shouto in his little corner with and arched brow. Sero turned to Kaminari. They both nodded to each other.

"No. No way. I am not driving with half and half."

* * *

"Don't touch anything. Don't look at anything. Don't even breathe towards me." Bakugou growled as he buckled his seat belt.

Bakugou's car very much matched who he was. It was black, had a black interior with orange accents, and had a Red Riot charm on its drivers mirror. Shouto buckled his own seat belt and held on tight to it as the car started rolling. Bakugou sniffled.

"Are you okay?"

"Yeah, now shut up." he tried to keep his voice grouchy, but it was quivering.

"Do you want to talk about what you're feeling?"

"Yes, but certainly not with _you_."

"Oh, I-"

 _Buzz buzz_. _Buzz buzz_. Shouto grabbed his phone. He gave a quick glance to the phone screen. Yaoyorozu's name flashed brightly on it. He stared. Bakugou lifted his head towards him and nudged his side.

"You gonna answer that?"

"Yeah," he blinked and put the phone to his ear, "hello?"

There was shuffling. Then, a cough and a sharp inhale followed. Shouto looked at his phone screen again to check the number.

"Hello?" he asked again.

"Hi."

"Yaoyorozu?"

"Hi Todoroki."

"Hi Yaoyorozu?"

"There you go saying things like they're a question again." she gave a nervous laugh.

"Are you feeling okay?"

"Yeah, I just, um," Yaoyorozu was shuffling again, "I'm at my parent's house with Aki right now. He's asleep.

"Okay," he waited for her to ask something. There was a tone to her voice.

"Todoroki," she spoke up.

"Hm?"

"C-Could I drop off Aki at your place tomorrow night? I'm working the morning and night shift and I don't want Aki to be at my parent's place with no one around."

"Yeah, that's fine," he paused to think, "but should we look into daycare services for when both of us are busy?"

"I didn't even think of that!"

"No, no, it's okay. Don't worry about that right now."

"I just had my debut today, so things are going to be weird with my schedule right now. You probably have a more set one, but hero work is unpredictable. We should look into daycare and babysitter services as soon as possible. At the same time, I don't want Aki to live a life of nannies and attendants. I want him to have good adult figures in his life. M-Maybe just daycare and we both try to keep dayshifts so he can spend time with us at night? Oh, but I don't want him to feel unloved or, or-"

"Yaoyorozu."

"Yes, Todoroki?"

"You're rambling.

"Oh," she nervously laughed again, "I'm sorry. I just worry about these things."

"It's fine. We'll figure it out."

"Yeah, thank you, Todoroki. I'm gonna get going now. I'll see you tomorrow?"

"Yes. I'll send you my address."

"Alrighty then. Bye bye!"

"Bye…"

He lingered slightly, waiting for her to hang up. She was still there, waiting for him to hang up. Shouto shuffled a little and pulled the phone closer to his face.

"Good night, Yaoyorozu. Sleep well."

He quickly ended the call before she could reply. Shouto shook his head and looked out the window. They were on the freeway now, speeding past large fields. He glanced at it string. It began to glow brightly among the dark night, floating above the fields and out towards the city.

"Still need your address, halfy."

"Yeah, one sec."

* * *

Shouto sighed as the car pulled up to his apartment building. He pulled out his keys and looked to the entrance.

"Alright, we're here." Bakugou stopped the car.

"Thanks Bakugou, have a safe ride home. If you need someone to call-"

"Todoroki, you're the most socially incompetent bastard I know. There's no way in _hell_ I'd ever call you."

"I-"

"Get out. I'll be alive tomorrow, don't worry." he huffed and unlocked the doors.

"Good night, Bakugou."

"Yeah, yeah."

Shouto got out of the car and watched it speed off. He watched the red strings of the street. They all crossed each other. Some glowed while others were hanging on by a single thread. He ran a hand through his hair as he turned to the entrance. _Alone, again_.


	10. you make me happy

Shouto walked up the stairs slowly. It seemed to go on forever with the same rhythmic motion. One step, then another, and another. He sighed. _Maybe I should've taken the elevator_. He kept going until he came to his floor. His hand grabbed onto the handle and swung it open.

Down the hall, there it was. He practically ran to his door and unlocked it. He stood at the doorway, looking into his apartment. There were still items thrown about from his morning rush. He sighed again and shut the door. _I'm gonna need to clean, but first._ He smelled himself and groaned. _Shower_.

* * *

 _9:41 PM_. Shouto pushed the broom back into the pantry and walked off to the bathroom, phone in hand. He brushed his teeth as he went through his emails. _Interview. Interview. Hero survey. Fan mail notice. Dental clinic. Insurance. Hero papers. Mission statistics._ He washed out his mouth and shut the bathroom door, making his way to his room.

He climbed into bed and inhaled deeply. It was always so nice to get into bed at the end of the day. He plugged his phone in, setting it on the bedside table, and pulled the covers over himself. His eyes closed and his body untensed. It was peaceful.

* * *

"Yaoyorozu?" a little voice nudged at her side.

"Hmm?"

Momo rolled over, finding Aki at the side of her bed. He rubbed his eyes and frowned at the ground.

"Is something wrong?" she got out of bed and crouched down next to him.

"Can I have water?"

"Of course, let's go get some." she smiled and clasped his hand.

* * *

The kitchen was dark and quiet. Momo switched the lights up and picked up Aki to her side. She grabbed a cup and filled it at the water dispenser. Aki was clasping at her hair.

Momo handed the cup to him. He held it as she walked back to her room and shut off the light. Aki's lower lip was trembling, he fussed until she let him on the ground again.

"Is something wrong, Aki?"

"When am I going back to uncle?"

Momo stopped. He stared up at her with those big blue eyes. She put a hand on her chin to think. She patted Aki's head with a small smile.

"Probably some time soon. I'll ask Todoroki in the morning, okay?"

"Okay." he waddled next to her.

"I'll tuck you in again, come along."

"Mm." he grabbed onto her hand.

* * *

 _Beep beep. Beep beep._ Shouto jolted up from his bed. The left side of his face felt completely numb and he could barely move his right leg. He looked at his phone, finding the usual dozen notifications on it, but there was _even_ more.

"What the fuck?"

Shouto got out of bed, clicking through the notifications. About half of them were text messages from various people. The other half were emails.

 _Todoroki, you're so irresponsible. I swear to god. - Jirou Kyouka sent 3 minutes ago_

 _We need to talk. - Ashido Mina sent 30 minutes ago_

Shouto scrolled all the way down, finding a text message from his boss. There was only a link and a single word, _explain_ , at the end of it.

He didn't think much of when he clicked on it. The page took a few seconds to load. That's when he realized. Shouto smacked himself on the forehead. In big, bold letters was a headline that would keep Japan talking for months:

 **Japan's Hottest Bachelor ISN'T Single?! Frostfire spotted with newly debut heroine, Creati!**

* * *

"Yaoyorozu are you okay?"

"Yeah, yeah. I'm fine."

She placed her phone down onto the dresser. Aki tugged on the hem of her shirt. Momo bit her lip, thinking back to the article's title as she flipped a pancake. Aki climbed up a chair next to the stove to watch, making sure to keep his distance from the hot surface. He watched quietly, blinking with those soft blue eyes of his.

"Did you call Frostfire yet, Yaoyorozu?"

Momo flipped the pancake again. Thoughts were swirling around in her head. _What will Todoroki think? Maybe I shouldn't have gone with him. Uwabami is going to be upset with me. I have to do some interviews or something so this all can go away. Maybe I should talk to Todoroki about it. It'll be hard for us to avoid each other because of Aki_. Momo looked to the little boy, he was waving a hand in front of her face. _Or maybe we shouldn't be taking care of him at all._

"Yaoyorozu, why's there black stuff coming from the pancake?" Aki pointed to the pan.

"Oh dear!" she snapped out of it.

Momo flipped the pancake onto a plate. She looked at it, seeing the black parts and burnt edges. She sighed and turned the heat off for the stove. Aki quizzically looked at her, reaching a hand out to grab the pancake. Momo stopped his hand.

"We can't eat that one, Aki. It's burnt."

"Aww."

"Now, what were you asking me? I couldn't hear you." she turned the head back on and went to grab the bowl of pancake batter.

"Did you call Frostfire?"

"Not yet. He's probably on his morning commute right now."

"What's a commute?"

"It's uh, it's when people travel to work like how people drive or take the train."

"Wah? My daddy takes the train every morning after breakfast. My mommy made lots of food."

Momo softly smiled at him. _The truth hurts, but this little boy…_ She reached out a hand to stroke his head and cup his cheek. Aki pouted at her as she touched him, whining at her love.

"I'll make you lots of food too, okay? Just like your mommy!"

"Really?!"

"Yes, now go grab some berries from the fridge. Let's upgrade these pancakes!"

* * *

Shouto grabbed his jacket and keys, moving towards the front door of his apartment. _Buzz buzz._ He looked to his phone on the counter. A text message was plainly displayed on the screen.

 _I'm picking you up today. Get outside. - Midoriya Izuku_

Shouto found the car parked outside the building. He tapped on the top of it to find Midoriya inside. He was dozing off quietly, but quickly opened his eyes. He rubbed them and unlocked the car for him. Shouto slipped inside with a sheepish look on his face.

"So," Midoriya pulled out of the parking space.

"So?" Shouto shrugged.

"You and Yaoyorozu?"

"It's not, uh, we're not-"

"I'm not here to harass you about it, but I hope you talk to her about it."

"I'm going to see her later today."

"Todoroki…"

"In private, not in public."

"Todoroki?" Midoriya lifted an eyebrow at him and his eyes widened.

"She's dropping off Aki at my place before she goes to work."

"Who's Aki?"

"He's the kid I saved from the fire a few days ago. We're taking care of him until," Shouto stopped. _Wait, how long are we taking care of Aki?_

"Todoroki, hold up," Midoriya pulled over and parked near a restaurant, "you're taking care of a kid?"

"Yeah?"

"With Yaoyorozu?"

"Yeah…"

"Todoroki, you don't have the time to take care of a kid. You're on emergency duty, where you could be called in at _any_ time. Have you thought this through?"

"No…"

"Talk with her tonight. Don't be like this," Midoriya sighed, "you're more responsible than this."

"Sorry," Shouto slunk down in his seat a bit.

"Why are you apologizing? You don't need to. You," he sighed again, "you worry me."

"I'll talk to her, I kind of need to."

"Yeah, do that. Also, did you buy groceries for the week yet? Usually we make lists with Iida on what to buy, but we didn't get the chance to this week."

"Yeah, I bought some a few days ago. I just used the list from last week."

"Didn't you buy 2 containers of whipped cream last week?"

"Uh…"

"Todoroki!"

"It goes well with oatmeal in the mornings," he pointed out.

"Alright, alright, that's not a lie." Midoriya chuckled.

Shouto shook his head and turned away to look out the window. They passed by towering buildings and pedestrians. He followed the strings of the people on the sidewalk. Red strings went over mail boxes and through trees, connected to small pinkies. He turned to Midoriya, glancing at his string. It had the faintest glow to it.

"Hey, Midoriya?"

"Yeah, Todoroki?"

"Where did you go last night?"

Midoriya stopped. He has the most terrible poker face. A sheepish smile came to his face, probably trying to think up something. Shouto looked at his string again. It was glowing brighter as Midoriya's face went red.

"Well! Uh, I went home," he nodded his head.

"Why?" Shouto leaned closer to him, a little suspicious.

"I thought I left the stove on!"

"Midoriya, you don't cook. At most you use the microwave and toaster."

"I-I," he stopped at a red light.

Pedestrians walked past the car. People went on with their lives with briefcases, sunglasses, and phones connecting the world. Shouto watched Midoriya's string twist over itself and float up into the air. His face was bright red and there was sweat on the sides of his face. He attempted to keep his eyes on the road, his leg bouncing for the light to turn green. The string relaxed as Midoriya's grip on the steering wheel did too. He took a deep breath in and out.

"Todoroki, can I tell you about it later?"

"Yes, but-"

"Huh?"

"Why can't you tell me now?"

"It's…" he trailed off and looked around the streets, turning the corner. "It's complicated."

"Does it involve…" Shouto held his tongue.

"Yes. It's something about me and Uraraka. I can't tell you now, but I will tell you soon."

"Okay. I'll tell you how tonight goes soon too." he nodded.

"I'm glad. Let's work hard today, Shou."

"Mm."

* * *

"Yaoyorozu, can we get this?"

"Um, Aki, where did you find this?"

"Near the fish!"

Momo smiled helplessly at the little boy. Aisles of food, spices, and products lined around them. She had a small shopping basket in her hand. A black cap and sunglasses hid her identity and a small cap on Aki's head kept him safe from public eyes. He held up a damp box of crackers to her. Momo took the box from him and sighed.

"This box is wet. We should find where the crackers actually come from and get a dry box."

"But it's the same crackers," Aki looked over the box, tracing the animal designs on it.

"Y-Yes, it is, but-" Momo stopped. "Actually, Aki. You're right. Let's get this box."

"Yay!" he put in the basket and hopped off to look at other items in the aisle.

Momo sighed. She went back to looking through snacks. She couldn't find her favorite potato chips anywhere. _Maybe they went out of business?_ She grabbed a different brand of chips and walked around, trying to find Aki. Momo could hear him scurrying along, grabbing whatever box entice him.

Aki ran up to her again. He held a box of crackers. On its box were pictures of popular heroes from Deku to Ground Zero. There especially was Frostfire, smacked straight in the center of the picture. Momo smiled as Aki tugged on her sleeve.

"Yaoyorozu, I want this one!"

"You already got one box of crackers. If you want this one, we should put the animal crackers back."

"But I want both!" he frowned, grabbing the box of animal crackers to have in his hands.

"Well, let's think about it," she kneeled next to him. "If you take a box and someone else takes a box, then you both get yummy crackers. But, if you take both boxes, only you get crackers and no one else does anymore."

"Huh? But there's more crackers there," he pointed up.

"But there's a limited amount, Aki. There's not enough for everyone to have lots of yummy crackers. There's enough for everyone to have _one_ box of yummy crackers though. We have to make sure everyone gets one."

"Why do we do that?" he followed Momo as she started walking back to the snacks aisle to put back the crackers.

"Because everyone is like you too. You want yummy crackers, don't you?"

"Yes! Yes!"

"Then we have to make sure everyone gets yummy crackers because _you_ are part of everyone."

"Oh! I like that better than 'sharing is caring' because that one doesn't make sense."

"Really now, why do you think that?" she grabbed the box of animal crackers from him and put them back on the shelf.

"Uh,"

* * *

Shouto huffed as he chased the thief. Bags, cash, watches, and all alike were spilling out of the thief's enormous mouth. He soon enough got tired of chasing and stopped. He slid his right foot forward and right arm with it. A curt downward movement made ice form all around the thief, encasing them in a box. He exhaled a cloud of ice and waited as the police sirens got louder. _Not much today, huh?_

There was already a crowd of people gathering to look at the twisted and jagged cage. A news van got there faster than Shouto would have expected and were already rushing to him. He tried to look busy, beginning to heat his left hand to melt the ice for the police to take the villain away.

"Frostfire! Frostfire! Can we have a word?!" the reporter ran out of the van with a microphone already ready. A cameraman rushed out behind them with the camera already on their shoulders.

Shouto mentally cursed himself and put on the decentest fact he could, "Of course. What would you like to know?"

"There's been many smaller crimes in this district for the past few months such as thievery with this villain here. You've answered plenty before about the crime rates, but I'm with GGossmer Magazine to ask you about the new hero, Creati. Are you and her seeing each other?" the reporter shoved the microphone into his face.

"If you would like an interview, you will have to schedule that with my hero agency. I'm working right now, ma'm." he wished the police cars would come sooner.

"Could it be that you are? Do you two have a child together?! Are you secretly married?! How's-"

" _ **HEY!**_ "

A police officer appeared, coming out of his car and walking towards Shouto. Shouto sighed as the reporter shrunk and slunk away. He gave a glare at the cameraman, who quickly left to the news van as well.

"Afternoon, Frostfire," the police officer tipped his hat to him. "Whatcha got here?"

"Regular thief. Seems like they have a mouth enlargement quirk." Shouto blasted a hot shot of fire to melt a hole into the ice. Inside was the thief, huddled in a corner.

"GET ME OUT OF HERE!" they screeched.

"Nice job there. We'll get them out of your hands so you can get back on patrol."

"Thank you." he whispered, tilting his head to where the news van was.

"Of course. Anything for the coolest hero out there." the police officer winked.

* * *

Shouto sat down on the couch of his apartment. He just got done with the day. It was long, stressful, and full of way too many people asking about his love life. He scowled at the thought and ran a hand through his hair. He had showered at the agency's locker room, but his hair still felt disgusting. There was a run in with a slime quirk villain earlier today. The smell of sewage couldn't get out of his hair.

There was a soft knock on the door. He stood up, stretched, and walked towards it. The first knocked was followed by many other ones. These knocks were loud and short. Shouto opened the door, finding Yaoyorozu and Aki. Yaoyorozu carried brown paper bags of groceries with her right hand holding onto Aki's hand. Aki had a lollipop in his mouth. He waved up at Shouto with a grin.

"Hi Frostfire!"

"Hi."  
"Are you doing okay?" Yaoyorozu had a soft look to her eyes.

"Y-Yeah, I'm fine. Just thinking," he nodded at her. "Let me help you."

Shouto grabbed the bag of groceries from her. She smiled and let him do so, ushering Aki into the apartment to shut the door. Aki shyly observed the small hallway into the apartment's living room. Shouto placed down the groceries into the kitchen and walked back to pick up Aki.

"Hi Frostfire!" he grinned and stuck out his tongue, which was dyed red from his lollipop.

"Hey Aki," Shouto gave a small smile back and ruffled his hair, "ready to go to bed soon?"

"No!"

Yaoyorozu laughed at that. She tried to put a hand over her mouth and stifle it, but she stopped when she caught Shouto's eye. She blushed, cleared her throat, and started collecting herself.

"Well, I best be going now. My shift starts in a few hours and I should get debriefed on villain cases."

"Uh, yeah." Shouto started blushing too.

Their red string glowed and grew taut as she turned around for the door. He let Aki go down onto the ground and grabbed onto her wrist. Yaoyorozu turned back, a bit surprised.

"Wait, I need to talk to you about something."

"What is it?" she placed down her purse and stepped forward.

"Uh, one second."

Shouto picked up Aki and took him into the living room. The little boy sucked on his lollipop, enthusiastically pointing at the pictures on the walls and decoration items. All of those pictures and items had been gifts from UA friends over the years. A small All Might figurine, a class picture in their third year, another picture but they were all adults in their hero costumes now, multiple small plushies of heroes and food items from Ashido, and other items were placed randomly about wherever there was an empty space.

"Aki, do you like cartoons?"

"Yeah!"

"What's your favorite cartoon?" Shouto placed him down onto the coach in front of the TV.

"All Might Versus the World!"

"Woah! Really? That's my favorite too. It's an older one." Shouto grabbed the remote and turned on the TV, going straight to a streaming service to find the cartoon.

"Are we going to watch it?!"

"Mhm," he started playing an episode then patted Aki's head, "I need to talk to Yaoyorozu for a little bit, but I'll be back in a few minutes, okay?"

"Okay!"

Shouto rushed back to the hallway, grabbed onto Yaoyorozu's wrist—which made her yell considerably loud—, and pulled her into his bedroom. He shut the door and made sure he could faintly hear Aki cheering with the TV show. He sighed and sat down at his desk when Yaoyorozu plopped down onto his bed. He blushed and closed his eyes, still facing her but having his head tilted to the ground.

"I have to talk to you about a lot." Shouto opened his eyes and forced his blush to go away with help from his right side.

"We both have a lot to do. Do you have any way to contact Aki's uncle?" she looked so far away on the bed.

"I have a business card. I didn't get the chance to call though."

"Mmm." she turned away from him, staring at the door.

Shouto watched as the red string glowed brightly in the dark room. He hadn't even turned on the lights with the moonlight from the window lighting things just right. Yaoyorozu sat there, her brow knitted tightly and her lips pursed.

"Also," he stood up and walked over to her.

Yaoyorozu scooted over on the bed, allowing Shouto to sit down. He kept a distance from her, but kept his eye contact. He couldn't be embarrassed about it now.

"I'm sorry about the media."

She smiled sadly, "You can't really control the media, Todoroki."

"I'm still sorry. I've talked about being around female friends with my boss before and I decided to not listen to his advice yesterday."

"It was nice though." she tapped her leg, "It was one of the most eventful days I've had in years." she was looking up wistfully at the ceiling.

"Mm, I'm glad."

Shouto lied back onto the bed. He rested a hand onto his forehead and stomach as Yaoyorozu looked down to him. She had a curious glint in her eye. A small smile came onto her lips and their red string began to glow brighter. Shouto sat back up and cleared his throat. The string kept trying to pull them closer together. Their hands were practically brushing. Yaoyorozu blushed.

"We really should go out a watch Aki now. He might set something on fire if he gets too excited." Yaoyorozu stood up and collected herself.

"Mm." Shouto followed her as she walked out the bedroom door.

"You can talk to his uncle in a bit. I bought some groceries, snacks, and clothes that Aki wanted. They're in the bags by the door."

"Oh," Shouto spotted them, "thank you."

"No need to thank me. We had time this morning and I wasn't sure if you had much food at your place since pro heroes are so busy."

"No really," he stopped as she stood in front of the apartment's front door to leave, "I appreciate it."

"Oh, um, then of course." she smiled brightly.

"Yaoyorozu!" Aki ran up to her from the living room.

"Oh Aki I-"

He hugged onto her legs tightly. Yaoyorozu flushed a bright red and giggled. She crouched down in front of Aki and pat him on the head.

"I'll see you tomorrow. Be good to Todoroki."

"Are we going shopping again?" he looked up at her with bright eyes.

"No, we'll do something else. Maybe go to the park. Is that okay?"

"Mhm!" he gave her one last hug and rushed back to Shouto's side.

"Well, goodbye now. Take care, Todoroki. Don't let anything burn down while I'm gone." Yaoyorozu smiled and winked at him.

"I won't." he chuckled and shut the door as she left.

The red string's glow ceased and relaxed as Shouto heard Yaoyorozu's footsteps get more distant. Aki tugged on his shirt. The tug practically pulled him backward. He sighed and turned around to Aki. Shouto picked him up from the ground and looked straight at him with a frown, but his eyes remained playful.

"You can't tug on people's shirts so hard, Aki. It's rude."

"Sorry Frostfire." he looked away from Shouto and fumbled with his fingers.

"You don't have to call me Frostfire all the time too. You're allowed to call me Shouto."

"Really?" he looked up at him wide eyed.

"Yup. Now, do you want to keep watching TV or get ready for bed?"

"TV! TV!" he cheered.

Shouto chuckled, "Alright, but only for a couple more minutes."

"Yay!"

Shouto grabbed the bags and hustled to put everything away. He heard Aki giggling in front of the TV with All Might's voice going on about he's going to defeat a villain. Shouto sighed and looked up to the pictures on the walls. Right there on the refrigerator door, held by pink magnets that Ashido had chosen out, was a picture of the great hero himself. He smiled to himself, placing some eggs into the fridge.

Little footsteps scurried over to Shouto. He turned to Aki who was holding onto the remote. The boy had a worried look on his face as he looked down onto the buttons.

"Shouto! There's no more cartoons on the TV!"

"Let's see what's wrong."

He glanced over to find the channel had been switched. It was now on the midnight news, which was discussing recent villain attacks. Shouto grabbed the remote, pressing the cartoon channel's number for the TV. Aki jumped up and down as he heard All Might's voice on the TV again.

"There you go." Shouto handed the remote back to him and he scurried to the living room.

The pro hero sat down on the kitchen floor and sighed again. He grabbed into the grocery bag, pulling out chips. On the front was himself, a picture of him with some flame and a small smile. He grimaced at his own face and opened the bag of chips.

 _Ding!_ Shouto placed down the chips, grabbing his phone. A message popped up from Yaoyorozu with emojis and exclamation points. He smiled, gazing over the message again and again.

 _Good luck taking care of Aki! He's a handful, but I believe in you! 3 - Yaoyorozu Momo_

Shouto sighed dreamily and smiled at the little message. She was great. Yaoyorozu was the greatest and Shouto couldn't contain how he felt. His heart burst with joy and he had to slowly put his phone down to prevent himself from jumping up. _She makes me happy._

* * *

A/N: I've been in a really big funk with writing lately. There's a lot of projects I've been working on and I'm excited to share it with you all soon. Thank you to those who have looked forward to this. I plan on ending this fanfic soon within about 8ish chapters. Then, maybe we'll have another red string of fate story?


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